Kris Boyd has expressed serious concerns over Rangers’ financial strategy, contrasting it starkly with Celtic’s approach.
He claims that Rangers have been “run by the heart,” spending aggressively to match Celtic’s success, which has led to financial instability. This comes after the club disclosed a £17.2 million operating loss for the most recent financial year. Despite Rangers posting a record core revenue of £88.3 million, fans have been alarmed by the grim financial figures, especially during a challenging season under Philippe Clement.
Meanwhile, Celtic, under Brendan Rodgers, continues to thrive financially, boosted by their participation in the lucrative Champions League. With seven points from four group stage matches, they are eyeing a spot in the knockout stages, further enriching their coffers.
Boyd remarked on the disparity, stating: “You only need to look at Rangers’ finances that were released a few weeks ago. It’s all well and good having money coming in, but if you don’t spend it wisely you could end up in trouble. Celtic are the opposite. Celtic have brought in a lot of money, and a lot of their fans will be demanding, ‘you have to go and spend that money,’ but it has been built up. I think Celtic have been run by the head, and when you look at Rangers a lot of it has been run by the heart.”
Former Scotland manager Craig Levein echoed Boyd’s sentiments, emphasizing Celtic’s need for financial prudence despite their Champions League presence. “The thing with Celtic is, they know they can’t close the gap on the European giants, they can’t do it,” he observed.
Ex-Celtic boss Gordon Strachan also warned against reckless spending: “There’s no point in doing that. What if you spend £200m? How many players are you going to get for that? Then you have to pay the wages. So, say you pay £10m for someone, they’ll want £50k a week. Then the other players there (at Celtic) say, ‘well, I want £50k a week, I want £45k, I want £40k.’ And before you know it, it’s out of control. If you then have one bad season, you’re done, and the club is at risk financially. That’s the problem you’ve got.”
As Rangers strive to catch up to their rivals on the pitch, the contrast in financial management underscores a deeper divide between the Glasgow clubs.
