Gers want McLeish to secure future

RANGERS must secure the long-term future of manager Alex McLeish as soon as possible to avoid a Celtic-style contract saga.

That is the view of John McMillan, secretary of the Rangers Supporters Association, following McLeish's treble triumph last season.

Old Firm rivals Celtic finally secured the signature of boss Martin O'Neill on a rolling contract towards the end of the campaign months after the Irishman had pledged his future to the Parkhead side.

That followed months of speculation that O'Neill was set to swap the Bank of Scotland Premier League for a return to the Barclaycard Premiership.

Rangers chairman John McClelland has already vowed to offer McLeish who has a year remaining on his current contract a lucrative deal to stay at Ibrox.

And McMillan believes having McLeish put pen to paper as soon as possible is vital for the stability of Rangers heading into the new campaign.

He said: "I certainly wouldn't like to see a situation like that at Celtic but Rangers have never operated like that. "The very fact that they are talking about it just now is a good sign and I imagine it will be resolved soon."

McMillan added: "He still has another year on his current but it is a relatively important issue. It can backfire on clubs to rush into things but I think Rangers will sort it out soon. They will want the stability of making sure that the management structure is in place and it's important for continuity at the club."

The only black mark against McLeish since joining Rangers was the shock UEFA Cup exit at the first time of asking to little-known Czech Republic side Viktoria Zizkov. He went some may to making amends to the supporters by bringing the league title back to Ibrox, as well as clinching the Tennent's Scottish Cup and the CIS Insurance Cup.

Rangers now have the chance to make an impact in the Champions League but McMillan insists McLeish does not need to feel under pressure as a direct result of Celtic's success in the UEFA Cup last year, which took them all the way to the final against Porto.

McMillan said: "I would never detract from what Celtic did last season because it was a magnificent achievement. But I don't think it puts any additional pressure on Rangers to do well in Europe.

"The main aims next season will be to retain the three trophies, as well as having a good run in Europe. That can only raise the status of the club and the manager and it would be a bonus for all Rangers supporters but not because of what Celtic have done."