SMITH HAPPY TO RETAIN GERS SQUAD!

Smith believes his squad will win silverware this season

Rangers manager Walter Smith says he is pleased none of his top players left Ibrox in the January transfer window.

The club had indicated they would have to sell one of their stars to ease their financial situation.

"We're obviously pleased from a footballing perspective that we have roughly the same squad for the rest the season," said Smith.

"Through necessity we were looking to sell. We'll still have to trim the squad, but it'll happen naturally."

The Rangers manager had been told to reduce his squad from 28 to about 20, as the club look to reduce their £25m overdraft.

Kris Boyd came close to making the switch to Birmingham City, but talks stalled after the striker failed to agree personal terms with the Championship club.

Captain Barry Ferguson, Allan McGregor, and Pedro Mendes were also linked with moves.

The Portuguese midfielder indicated he had little intention of leaving for Bolton Wanderers.

"To make it clear both from myself and the club there was a clear intention. Both of us were thinking the same way," he said.

"Now the transfer window is finished, there is just one thing we have to focus on now.

"We're looking forward to the rest of the season. We have a great chance to win the title, so the next four months or so will be very interesting."

Rangers chairman Sir David Murray has said he would prefer to sell fringe players in order to balance the books.

Murray said that losing to Kaunas and missing out on money generated by progress in either the Champions League or Uefa Cup meant that Rangers could not sustain their present size of squad.

And Smith said that apart from the revenues generated by European competition, the players miss testing themselves against the continent's top teams.

On Wednesday evening they host Italian giants AC Milan in a friendly match at Ibrox.

"I spoke to the players yesterday and they all want to play. I think that's a measure of how keen they are to come up against the very best," said Smith

"We've missed our European football this season and AC Milan are bringing a full squad packed with a mouth-watering array of players.

"So it's a game that everybody is looking forward to against some of the best players in the world."

Rangers are two points behind Celtic in the SPL and will face their Old Firm rivals in the final of the Co-Operative Insurance Cup next month.

The Ibrox side face Forfar in the fifth-round of the Homecoming Scottish Cup on Saturday.
BBC SPORTS REPORT.