THERE Is never a good time to lose an accomplished player, although Rangers have learnt there is also an extremely bad moment to reveal news which their fans dreaded. Confirmation of Carlos Cuellar's departure for £7.8 million to Aston Villa has been as welcome as the credit crunch.
The spell following one of the club's most wretched European defeats was a time to re-group. The club's high command – owner Sir David Murray, chief executive Martin Bain and manager Walter Smith – attempted to unite the disgruntled masses when agree
ing to honour a commitment to attend a question and answer session at Murray Park last Friday.
These same supporters had already cause to be agitated over the summer, their patience tested by the arrival of an uncelebrated Kenny Miller. But this is a minor irritation compared to the double blow of the last eight days, when elimination from European football was followed by the sale of the club's finest player. Their mood has only been worsened by the apparent pledge not to sell Cuellar given at Murray Park last week, although Smith did admit the club was "vulnerable" to predatory bids.
Rangers have piled fresh misery on to fans who are already in a ferment. But what choice did club officials have as they continue to count the cost of a fateful result in Kaunas last Tuesday? There have been worse defeats than the 2-1 loss in Lithuania, but none have had such brutal consequences. In a flash Rangers lost an estimated £10 million, and also their best player.
Had it not been for this defeat we can assume Cuellar would surely still be with Rangers. After all, he had been lured by the chance to play Champions League football. Instead he will line-up for Aston Villa, perhaps as early as tomorrow night in the Uefa Cup against lowly Icelandic side FH Hafnarfjordur.
Others, too, are now intent on following a different path. Hundreds of Rangers fans have vowed not to return to Ibrox, their anger fuelled by every detail of the £7.8 million deal which has taken Cuellar south. Former Celtic manager Martin O'Neill's involvement helped ratchet up the anguish levels, as does the relatively modest fee. It simply increases the feeling that Rangers have not played it straight with supporters.
The reality is that Cuellar had an eye for the main chance. No-one can criticise him for grasping the opportunity to play in the English Premier League. His desire to do this was always present, but circumstances accelerated the process.
The seeds for this harvest were sown in July last year, when Cuellar agreed to come to Ibrox. Demonstrating the defender's faith in himself, he and his agent insisted on a clause being inserted into his contract when agreeing to come to Rangers. This meant he was within his rights to leave the club should a bid such as Aston Villa's be made.
The belief he might prove a saleable asset in the future was revealed by former Rangers player John Brown, who was a scout for the club when Cuellar signed.
"He's a similar signing to Jean-Alain Boumsong in the sense that his value will appreciate," said Brown last year, with reference to another player on whom Rangers made a quick, and sizeable, profit.
"But I think he's a better player. He reads the game very well and is good in the air. He's the intelligent type of defender who intercepts passes before they reach the attacker's feet."
Brown's words proved prophetic. Cuellar did read the game well and seemed a step ahead of his opponents, and often own team-mates. And his value did also increase, to the extent that in 12 months it shot up from just over to £2 million to nearly £8 million. It proves another good piece of business by Rangers, although rarely will a cheque for such a sum have been deposited with so little glee.
There can be little satisfaction taken from the profit made from this deal, and though Smith has promised to invest the proceeds in the team the manager will be a fortunate man if he can unearth another player of Cuellar's quality.
The full article contains 710 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
