FOOTBALL
SMITH WARNS STARS TO SHAPE UP
WARNING: Walter Smith
By Iain Macfarlane
WALTER SMITH has held a dressing-room summit with his shell-shocked players and ordered them to blank talk of a January firesale and get on with the job of saving crisis-hit Rangers' season.
Smith must rally his troops for tonight's banana skin Scottish Cup clash against high-flying St Johnstone - but must do so on the back of a series of transfer revelations that have stunned the Ibrox camp.
Chairman Sir David Murray provoked a furious fans reaction when he agreed to sell top scorer Kris Boyd to Birmingham City in a near £4 million deal - and last night City claimed that deal was still ON despite initially breaking down in a row over wages.
Boyd wants £20,000 a week to move south compared to the £12,000 on offer from City, but talks will continue over the next 24 hours and the Midlands club are confident they will eventually get their man.
Skipper Barry Ferguson may still be flogged for a cut-price £2 million with Newcastle and Middlesbrough both waiting in the wings. Smith refused yesterday to comment on the club's controversial transfer policy which has so infuriated punters desperate to push Celtic all the way for domestic glory this season.
The Rangers manager would only say that his players are still fighting for the cause adding: "There doesn't seem to be any problem in training.It is no problem for us to focus on the game, that’s what we do.
“A lot of the extra stuff that has been going on may deflect attention in some places but certainly not on the footballing side of things. We are fairly focused despite everything that has been written and spoken about.
"The main concentration will be on how we apply ourselves in the game and that application will be a major factor in whether we succeed tomorrow night or not.This is a game we're looking forward to. It's 10 days since we played and that seems a long time.
"The most important bit of any cup tie is to show you are as keen as the opposition to win the game. There is no breathing space for you because you have to do well on the evening.
