Rangers Transfer Talk: What Is Joe Kinnear's Game?

It is always a compliment to your squad when your better players are linked with big-money moves to other teams, particularly in England.

Indeed, we as fans tend to find it cause for concern that transfer speculation regarding departures is conspicuous by its absence, as that is taken as an insult that none of our players are prime stock and desired by other sides.

In the past, especially under Alex McLeish, the transfer stories seemed to centre on what substandard players were coming in, as opposed to big bids for current ones. This was generally because current players were of the quality of Stephen Hughes and Egil Ostenstad.

However, with the onset of the present January transfer window, it is fair to say the rumours kicking in have been vastly more inflated than we are normally used to. The only players who have not been apparently linked with leaving the club are Kevin Thomson, Kirk Broadfoot, Sasa Papac, David Weir, Kenny Miller, and Steven Davis. Almost every other player on the entire staff has been mooted as heading for pastures new.

A significant reason for this has been the staggering flurry of activity resonating from one club in England in particular: Newcastle United.

The Tyneside club are known as Boumsong’s destination when he left for a magnificent profit to Rangers of £8M, and now that King Kevin has departed with Joe Kinnear vaguely replacing him, this current window is their bosses’ chance to bring in some quality to attempt to make his team above mediocre.

And in the course of doing so, he has been fairly concretely linked with at least three Rangers players; Allan McGregor, Madjid Bougherra, and of course captain Barry Ferguson.

This is all odd enough alone—yes, Bougherra’s stock has risen since being at Ibrox, and a move for him has been anticipated for some time, and yes, McGregor, despite a slow start this season is considered an asset to Rangers. But the Barry Ferguson situation is curious given his form of late has been less than mediocre, and given he is approaching 31 it seems very strange that any team would bid for him.

More importantly though, are Walter Smith’s granite denials that any contact has been made by Newcastle, which solidly accuses Kinnear of lying.

However, even more bizarrely is that half of the Celtic first team are also linked with moving to St James’ Park. Kinnear has confusingly become embroiled in speculation tying him to six or seven Old Firm players, if not more.

Now, in itself wild behaviour is part of the window—crazy stories will emanate all the time. But clearly this is a lot of attention especially on Ibrox, and that will undoubtedly unsettle the players in question.

Who knows where it will lead. Possibly nowhere—but it is nonetheless highly dumbfounding to see one club so interested in three or more of your players. Especially when the team is not really overall playing that well, something which if the contrary were true, would certainly justify all the speculation.

As a curious aside, Pedro Mendes has been predictably linked with former club Spurs now that ‘Arry Redknapp is back in charge, and Charlie Adam has been mooted as moving on, while McLeish at Birmingham City has been reporting preparing a bid for Boyd.

With Alan Gow seemingly out the door and Jean-Claude Darcheville already gone for sure, there will be movement between now and Feb. 2.

Just how much of it will be to Newcastle, though!?