Monday 24 October 2016 14:46, UK
Graeme Souness says Rangers chairman Dave King must provide more money for new players if the club is to make up a 'five-year gap' on Celtic.
The Ibrox side were beaten 1-0 by their Old Firm rivals in the League Cup semi-finals on Sunday, with Moussa Dembele's late goal giving his team a deserved victory at Hampden.
While they performed better than in their 5-1 league defeat at Celtic Park last month, Rangers were still under pressure for much of the game as their opponents dictated for large spells.
Souness thinks the only way to improve quickly is to invest - and has called for King to deliver after he and his consortium took control of the club last year.
"Celtic are five years ahead," Souness told Sky Sports News HQ. "They've had a five-year period where they could grow themselves.
"Rangers have done remarkably well and I think the Rangers supporters have done remarkably well, when you consider how they've stayed with the club, got behind it and the kind of numbers that turn up at Ibrox every fortnight.
"The gap is there, we have to accept the gap is there and hopefully we close that very quickly and that will be done by investment.
"There's no magic wand you can wave to make the players you've got into far better players. You can improve them slowly.
"But can you make the players there that much better they can catch Celtic up this season? I don't think so.
"I think it will need investment and that is down to the owner finding the money for the manager. At the moment the manager is operating with one hand tied behind his back."
Ray Wilkins agrees it will take an extended period of time for Rangers to genuinely compete for major silverware again after their four-year spell out of Scotland's top flight.
"They got a little bit closer to them than they did at Celtic Park because that was a hammering," Wilkins told Sky Sports Now. "I think it's going to take Rangers a good few years to come back to the type of level where they're going to give Celtic regular, real competition.
"It's been a bit of a transformation over the last couple of years for the guys at Ibrox and it's going to take another couple of years to get them up to the standard that's required.
"It's very difficult for them. Mark's done an outstanding job but it's going to take a long, long while to get back to the level the Rangers supporters want to see.
"I just hope they give him enough time. It's going to be rocky old ride - Aberdeen and Hearts are doing well and it's nice to see that because you need a bit of competition up in Scotland."
