Don’t blame the Dutch for money woes at Ibrox, says Michael Mols

AS Michael Mols prepares to give something back to Rangers this week, he has refuted suggestions he and several of his compatriots bear some burden of responsibility for the financial plight of the Ibrox club.

Former Dutch international Mols is in town to take part in this Friday night’s fixture between a Rangers Legends side managed by Walter Smith and their equivalents of AC Milan Glorie, led by Franco Baresi. The vast majority of proceeds from the match will be passed on from the Rangers Charity Foundation to the ongoing efforts to preserve the future of the administration-hit Scottish champions.

News of Rangers’ difficulties has made headlines far beyond Scotland. In Mols’ homeland, the media coverage has inevitably focused on the era in which a free-spending Dick Advocaat managed the club. It was during his reign that the Employee Benefit Trust scheme, the subject of the tax case tribunal still hovering over Rangers, was first operated.

Mols, whose team-mates at Ibrox included fellow Dutchmen Arthur Numan, Fernando Ricksen, Ronald de Boer, Bert Konterman, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Frank de Boer during his spell at the club from 1999 to 2004, revealed that they have been identified as the source of Rangers’ troubles. “I am not sure who is to blame for this but I can tell you that in Holland the media blame us,” said Mols. “They are all saying ‘Dick Advocaat started it with all you Dutch guys’. I don’t know all the details and the financial situation. But if the financial department of a club give money to a manager to spend, then the manager will spend it, even if he doesn’t know the consequences behind it. It’s difficult to say who is to blame but I don’t think the thing to do now is point the finger, I think it’s about how we’re going to solve it.

“If I say to you ‘there is money for you to spend’ and then I don’t have any money left, then I can’t blame you because I gave it to you. That’s just my opinion, but this isn’t about the blame game, it’s about looking to the future. When I left Rangers, they were still signing some big players, but the club were more looking at Bosman players. They signed the likes of Jean-Alain Boumsong and Dado Prso, but not really big signings. I think in terms of transfer fees Nikica Jelavic was about the last big signing and before that it was probably Kyle Lafferty.”

Now 41, Mols has shared the bewilderment of many with a Rangers connection at just how parlous a situation the club have now found themselves in.

“I first found out when I got some text messages from friends telling me Rangers were in administration and then it was also in the newspapers in Holland,” he added. “My first reaction was disbelief, but I just had this feeling that Rangers will never go bust. I’m sure there will be a solution. Even if that means starting all over again as a new company, then I still think they’ll come back stronger.”

Mols finished his playing career with Feyenoord, another big club who have faced severe financial difficulties in recent years, and he can see parallels with the downsizing the Rotterdam outfit have had to undertake. “A lot of clubs have money problems and that has made them more creative by bringing in some young players,” he said. “But the problem with clubs like Feyenoord or Rangers is that there is still pressure. People always expect them to win trophies and be at the top of the table. But the two can’t always go together. If you bring in some young talent then they need time to develop and sometimes they don’t get that. I feel sorry for the Rangers players just now, but not only the players. I feel sorry for everyone who has a heart for Rangers.”

“Sunday’s Old Firm game was a big occasion with a lot at stake and it was great that they won, but more important is the future of the club. Everyone is worried, I mean anyone who has feelings for the club and that includes us as former players.”

Mols received a rapturous reception from the Rangers supporters when he appeared on the pitch at half-time on Sunday. The man who scored 49 goals in 146 appearances during an injury-affected period at the club is relishing the prospect of wearing a blue jersey once more on Friday night. “I’m on the list to play against AC Milan and, as I’m one of the younger ones, I’ll hopefully get some game time to prove myself,” he smiled. “Being back on the pitch at the Old Firm game brought back memories and when I looked at the stadium and it makes you want to play again.

“Ally McCoist has already joked with me that I’m not in starting line-up, but I can’t wait for Friday and hopefully it will be a full house at Ibrox. For me, Scotland was the best time of my career. It wasn’t only the football, but everything around it. The people are friendly, the city was nice and, even now, when I come back it feels like home.”