Walter Smith: 'Without a takeover I can't even bring in a loan signing'

• Frozen up: Walter Smith will not be drawn into speculation about either Craig Whyte and his takeover plans, or Kris Boyd, and his desire to return to Ibrox. Photograph: TSPL

Bursaspor v Rangers

Tuesday, 7:45pm

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THE winds of change may be about to blow through Ibrox. Rangers manager Walter Smith, however, isn't counting on even the gentlest breeze wafting his way. Smith doesn't pretend to know any more about the takeover talks involving Craig Whyte than has been reported in recent days.

Rangers sources are confident that Whyte's buy-out of David Murray's shareholding could be completed by mid-January but the Rangers manager sees no sense in planning for better trading conditions in his last transfer window at the club.

When it comes to us nosey parkers peering into the January period for possible player moves at his club, Smith is like the policeman who wraps tape around an incident scene. It's a case of: move along, nothing to see here. Ditto with regards to talk of a loan return for Kris Boyd from Middlesbrough. Both are cordoned off.

"As it stands, we can't get any player in, as much as we might get one or two saying they want to come back to us," Smith said. "Currently, there is no chance of that happening. Here and now, we cannot buy a player or get one in on loan. If there were a takeover, we would need to wait until it was finalised to get the position clarified on whether we could buy a player or get someone in on loan."

The need would be intensified were there to be outward movement next month. A German football website has linked Kenny Miller with a move to AC Milan as cover for the injured Filippo Inzaghi. Allan McGregor, Steven Naismith and Madjid Bougherra, meanwhile, are linked with moves south.

"Despite speculation we have never had any bids for our players," Smith said. "We don't want to lose anyone and couldn't afford to do so with the size of our squad. If anything was to happen in that regard, money would need to be freed up to get someone in."

If Whyte does assume control of the club, Smith believes there are issues pertaining to both playing and management staff that would require urgent addressing. Not least the plan of succession on Smith stepping down in the summer. It has been widely trailed that his assistant Ally McCoist will take the top job, with chairman Alistair Johnston seeming to have intimated the board's approval of such a promotion. Smith, though, wants an unequivocal declaration on the subject. "That needs clarified by the current board or the new owner so the situation can be put to bed once and for all," he said. "If the club gets back to normal circumstances we have a lot of building up to do again after cutting away for the past few years; we've had a lot of that to do. All of these things should be done."

Of more immediate concern to Smith is Tuesday's final Champions League group game away to Bursaspor. It is an encounter that will not affect Rangers' final position in the group, since they are guaranteed third place and a Europa League spot, but it is far from meaningless. A win would as good as ensure that when the Ibrox men do next go into continental competition they would be seeded to avoid any fellow Champions League drop-outs. Furthermore, a victory would bank them 700,000.

In addition, Smith is conscious of the need for co-efficient points. The country's standing has waned to the extent that only the SPL winners will have the opportunity to qualify, through two or three rounds against fellow low-ranked nations, for the Champions League next summer.

"When you see that the consequences for our football can be dire, this is an important factor," Smith said. "In every European game we have to try to get a win so as to keep or improve on our level. That is vital for our football."

Yet, it could be a mixed blessing for Rangers. Had it not been for the unforgiving fixture pile-up created by their run to the UEFA Cup final in 2008, Smith's side would have been bankers to see off Celtic's late title challenge. The fact they wilted raises the question of whether, with their shallow squad, Rangers can afford a Europa League run when snaring three-in-a-row SPL success is the priority. "Previous experience suggests it would make life difficult," Smith admitted. "But like everything else, when you go into it you want to do well but the consequences are there. I said at the start of the season our biggest problem would be the injury and suspension situation. With the recent call-offs and the two Europa League last-32 ties we know are to follow, we practically won't have any free midweeks in January and February. Extra games would put pressure on us. Last time we were doing this we had a better squad."

Even with injuries to Nikica Jelavic, Madjid Bougherra, Maurice Edu, Sasa Papac and Kirk Broadfoot reducing his senior options to 15 players, Smith would rather have been pushing his players through a home game against Hearts yesterday and a trip to face Dundee United last Sunday. He fears any benefits of the snow-enforced break will be offset by the need to clear a backlog he hopes does not build up to 2008 proportions.

Bougherra, Edu and Papac will either return in midweek or in Inverness next month but Smith yesterday talked down the prospects of Jelavic returning from a three-month lay-off following knee surgery in time for the 2 January Old Firm game, as has been mooted.

Broadfoot, meanwhile, is not expected be available to the senior side for the next three months after the defender sustained cartilage damage to his ankle.

By the time Broadfoot returns, ownership of Rangers might be different. The identity of his team-mates however, is likely to be entirely familiar. What that will do for hopes of giving Smith a grand send-off, no-one can say for sure.