Kilmarnock boss Jim Jefferies insists it is "madness" for Rangers fans to call for Walter Smith's head before the season has begun.The Ibrox side crashed out of the Champions League second qualifier against Lithuanian minnows FBK Kaunas on Tuesday night, the 2-1 aggregate defeat provoking fury among the Ibrox supporters, many of whom have called for Smith to leave the club.
Jefferies' side begin their SPL campaign against Hibernian at Rugby Park on Saturday, with the Easter Road support also unhappy with boss Mixu Paatelainen after a dismal pre-season.
The Kilmarnock boss believes Rangers are simply missing the influence of skipper Barry Ferguson who is out for four months following an operation on his ankle.
He said: "It's a madness, that's exactly what it is, especially given Walter's track record at Scotland and what he did at Ibrox before.
"It's something that will happen all the time because that's the nature of the beast.
"But Walter has been in the game long enough to know that when you are at a club like Rangers, you are two defeats away from a crisis, but he is the best man for the job.
"He nearly won four trophies last season but games caught up with them.
"A lot of Rangers problems just now have to do with the loss of Barry Ferguson.
"He has his critics but he is a big influence on the team on the pitch and that's what Rangers' problem is, more than anything.
"They will be glad when he gets back but maybe they will need to get by until he gets fit or they get somebody of that quality in to do the same job.
"But Walter is experienced enough and good enough to know that they can come out with all guns blazing on Saturday and there will be back-slapping again on Monday."
Killie's new Italian midfielder Manuel Pascali, who signed for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal from Parma, is looking forward to locking horns with the Old Firm after watching them on television back in his homeland.
The 26-year-old said: "We are used to playing on a Sunday in Italy and so we watch the Scottish matches on occasions on a Saturday.
"I know all the Celtic and Rangers players because they also play in the Champions League and Celtic have an Italian player, Massimo Donati, and they have Shunsuke Nakamura who played for a long time in Italy.
"So playing against Celtic and Rangers will be a dream come true."
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let's take a look at walter's track record last year.
we stumbled our way into the uefa cup finals, playing the most boring football i've ever seen in my life and scoring one or two goals by the skin of our teeth. not great.
we stumbled through the domestic season with more injuries and less subs than i've ever seen in my life. not great.
we played cousin, a lazy bugger over boyd, a less lazy bugger, who scores more goals with less time on the pitch. not great.
and then we stick boyd in when we're close to losing to queens of the south, and he pulls horseshoes out of his @#$%, scores the goals and changes an rather embarassing situation into something evidently remarkable. he also does much the same in the other cup final. and walter still has the stones to leave him on the bench until the 80th minute. not great.
overall, i'd say he's a pretty piss poor manager, and i know i'm not alone in thinking that. get him out, before he does more damage. bring in laudrup to right the ship, cause anything less than a domestic treble this season and walter's legendary status with our club will surely be tarnished.
we are the people, but even the people won't support this!
Nearly is a big word in Footie terms......and Smith new that Ferguson would be out.............Why did Ferguson not go for the Op the day after the Cup Final??????????
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