'If I was a Rangers fan' - Kieran Maguire shares reason for concern after what he's seen

Kieran Maguire has shared his concern for Rangers fans in light of the growing economic gap between the club and Celtic.

The football finance expert launched a defence of Gers chief John Bennett amid reports he is under huge pressure at Ibrox [Robert Grieve], with the finger being pointed at him for the club’s financial woes.

Rangers were eliminated in the Champions League qualifying rounds by Dynamo Kyiv and Maguire has laid bare to the Daily Mail [12 September] the significant implications no Champions League football will have on their short-term financial future.

He said: “I speak to John Bennett and get on well with him. I have spoken to Stewart Robertson, the former chief executive, as well. They came on our podcast.

“I have no partisan position in this and it’s clear that Celtic have moved ahead. How Rangers catch up is now the question.

“I think it needs Celtic to do a lot of things wrong and Rangers to do an awful lot right at the same time before the gap can be eliminated.”

Maguire added: “That’s why it’s very challenging for Rangers now. I read John Bennett’s comments in the summer and they were pretty sombre.

“If I was a Rangers fan, I would have to take that on board. John hasn’t caused the problem, he is simply calling it out as it is and, as football fans, we sometimes don’t want to hear the cold, hard facts.

“But Rangers have a lot of hard work to do in a country where finishing second is finishing nowhere so far as the fans are concerned.”

Rangers needed Champions League football this season

While it is all well and good for Rangers supporters to suggest a change in ownership will balance the books at Ibrox, as always in football, it is not as straightforward as it may seem.

UEFA’s financial stability rules would restrict an owner of Chelsea shareholder Todd Boehly’s calibre, splashing insurmountable amounts of cash to bridge the gap to Celtic.

In layman’s terms, the criteria set out by UEFA is to guarantee financial stability for all football clubs that compete in European competition with a threshold of 80 per cent of Rangers’ revenue allowed for costs such as transfer fees, agent fees, and player wages.

Next season, the threshold will decrease to 70 per cent of revenue, and given that the Light Blues will play Europa League football this season, the potential income between themselves and Celtic will only further amplify the gap between the sides.

The defeat against Dynamo Kyiv at Hampden Park, after securing a respectable 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture, is a fundamental failure that is in the hands of Philippe Clement and his players, not Bennett.

While the Rangers chief has hardly covered himself in glory at Ibrox, he has no control over what happens on the pitch, and the £40m windfall missed from the elimination has made his job at the club all the more difficult.

As expertly put, finishing behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership this season, albeit a real possibility, will only do more harm.

Rangers must produce a good run in the Europa League this year and find a way to close the five-point gap on Celtic, How Clement can achieve this is anyone’s guess.

In other Rangers news, Dujon Sterling is set for more Rangers disappointment after an emerging transfer update.

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