Tuesday 12 April 2016 19:00, UK
Former Rangers manager Walter Smith believes the Ibrox board must find the money in order to compete with Old Firm rivals Celtic next season.
The Gers earned their place back in the top flight after a four-year journey ended last week and now the club are preparing for the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final against the Hoops.
And Smith remains adamant that Sunday's clash will offer little indication of what will happen next season and he urged the Rangers board help strengthen the current squad.
"Rangers will have to support Mark Warburton in the manner I was supported as manager, to give him the opportunity to challenge," said the 68-year-old, who won 21 trophies in two spells as Rangers boss.
"The board want the club to be up there and they have to find a way of doing so.
"The economics of Scottish football are fairly straightforward for Rangers and Celtic. If you invest in your team and get to the Champions League, you make money. If you don't, you lose money.
"That's the biggest gamble. Rangers are in a totally different circumstance from Celtic, but they have to find a way.
"It can be done. We weren't in a great circumstance when I came back a second time. We weren't in a great circumstance when Graeme Souness took over 30 years ago.
"The club showed a reaction at that time and I'm fairly sure they will show a reaction now."
Smith also feels Celtic have lacked the "motivation" playing in the top flight without the Ibrox club to push them and have suffered as a result.
"Aberdeen put up a great fight over the last couple of years but it's very difficult for provincial teams to match Celtic, or Rangers when they were at the level they were at five years ago," said Smith.
"Celtic have had a problem with their own motivation going into games. They have not had Rangers on their coat-tails. I don't think their spending has been what it was, and quite rightly: why spend the money when they don't need to?
"It doesn't matter what anyone says. When I was Rangers manager, you were motivated by Celtic. Your first look after each game was to look to see what their result was.
"That's a massive motivation to take away and I think Celtic have suffered a bit from that in their performances."
Watch the Glasgow derby on Sky Sports 2 HD from 11am this Sunday.
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