Alex Rae surprised bid to keep Davis not gazumped by rivals

AS DELIGHTED as he is that Steven Davis has committed himself to a new long-term contract at Rangers, Alex Rae cannot hide his bemusement that the Northern Ireland international has not been lured back to England instead.

Davis brought speculation over his immediate future to an end on Tuesday when he penned a five-year deal with the Scottish champions, promptly celebrating it with both goals in the 2-0 friendly win at Blackpool. Former Rangers midfielder Rae believes securing the services of Davis is the most significant piece of business yet concluded by the club's new chairman and owner, Craig Whyte.

Rae, who remains a committed follower of Rangers' fortunes, had expected the 26-year-old to return to English football where he had previous spells in the top flight with Aston Villa and Fulham. "I'm a bit surprised Rangers have managed to sign him on a new deal," said Rae. "Tying him up is a brilliant bit of business for the club. Steven could easily go back to the Premier League in England and acquit himself well.

"But it seems that a lot of the midfield players they are signing down there at the moment are big athletes, 6ft 2in tall and built like racehorses. For me, though, Steven is different class and one of the best around at what he does. He can pick a pass, open defences and has an eye for goal. His work rate and technique are as good as anyone."

While Davis joins Steven Whittaker and Allan McGregor in agreeing new long-term contracts with Rangers, the acquisition of new players has proved less successful so far for the Whyte regime, with only Spanish winger Juan Manuel Ortiz from Almeria on board. While a series of other transfer targets have fallen by the wayside, Rae insists there is no need for supporters to become overly concerned yet.

"Rangers need to bolster the squad, that's for sure," he said. "It's all about the quality they are trying to bring in. Unfortunately they have not been signing the players who were anticipated early on. But it's a statement of intent that they are trying to bring a high level of quality in.

"Although Rangers have struggled to get new players in, it's important that they have managed to tie down the backbone of their team for the next four or five years. That gives the players breathing space and they can just concentrate on their football without worrying about their own situation.

"Financially it's a good move for the club as well, as they have tied down assets whose value now goes up. It also helps the continuity of the team as you don't want to be chopping and changing eight or nine players every year. I'm sure the fans will be happy that all these guys have been tied down. I watched the Blackpool game the other night and it was the same old faces, with not many changes from the team which has won the title over the past few years.

"If they can get a few new faces in, and maybe some loan players again, then you are starting to get close to a decent-sized squad. Ally McCoist will want as many as possible, to cover for injuries and suspensions. He has been working hard all summer to get signings in and it can be a bit soul-destroying when things fall down at the last minute. I know that from my own time in management.

"The hardest thing for Ally will be dealing with the expectations after Walter Smith having won the last three titles. But there is expectation on any Rangers manager to win the title, because the fans won't settle for anything less. I think it will be a great season and with Ally going up against Neil Lennon, it adds to the levels of excitement."

• Rae was speaking at the launch of the Scottish FA/Mars Just Play programme designed to get adults playing regular football. For more info on events in your area visit www.scottishfa.co.uk.