New deals for key trio can settle Rangers, says Steven Naismith

Naismith, who himself recently signed a new deal, believes that tying up those three key players on longer deals will be a vital step to ensure continuity.

"The quicker they get these deals tied up the better for everybody at Rangers, to be honest," the 24-year-old said yesterday. "The club is not stupid - they've been talking to folk.

"I signed a new deal recently, they're talking to Sasa Papac and they have been talking to Allan McGregor. So here's hoping they can get things tied up between now and the end of the season and it will give us a wee boost."

The loss of striker Kenny Miller to Bursaspor has been the only move in or out of Ibrox so far in this transfer window, and manager Walter Smith's budget continues to be tightly controlled by the club's bankers. Nonetheless, Naismith hopes that no-one else will leave before the window closes next week, and is optimistic that the squad could even be strengthened.

"Hopefully we get a few bodies in more than anything else," he said. "The manager has come out and said to everybody that he is looking to get a few new bodies in if we can. It just gives you that wee fresh burst, a new face, and maybe puts the tempo back up and everybody back on their toes. So, hopefully, that can be it and nobody goes out."

McGregor in particular has been linked with a number of clubs, and Rangers' lack of funds makes it hard for them to compete against offers from England. But Naismith believes that, while some players may be swayed by the chance of higher wages, others will recognise that there are footballing advantages to playing for Rangers.

"Allan McGregor has been getting linked with clubs for the past year, probably. Madjid has been the same -- every transfer window you open the paper and he's been linked with somebody. They're still at the club and they're still doing well for Rangers. Hopefully the club can get deals tied up for them and we can keep the core of the team and move forward.

"If you come to Rangers you have the pressure of having to win every game, playing in Europe and fighting for every trophy going. Down in England it's more about the money.

"Clubs nowadays in the English Premier League can offer double, treble whatever Rangers and Celtic are offering. That's what you've got to weigh up and decide. But I think if you ask anybody in our changing room they're delighted with the way things have gone for the last two years and into this season. So, hopefully, we can get deals sorted out with these boys."After losing to Hearts on Saturday, Rangers are back in Edinburgh tomorrow night when they play Hibs - and Naismith is confident that defeat at Tynecastle will be no more than a temporary setback.

"There's no crisis, no nothing like that. We've been beaten by a team that were high on confidence, and when their chance came they took it. We've been here before. We know that when we take a defeat everybody jumps on the back of you and everything's wrong and there's big problems at the club. But we know we'll just need to knuckle down. You are going to meet setbacks along the way, and Saturday was one of them."

Another, more stunning setback occurred the last time Rangers met Hibs, when Colin Calderwood's side won 3-0 at Ibrox. "That was probably harder to take, because we didn't turn up that night. But it shows you every game is different."