RANGERS legend John Brown believes success for his old club next season would be qualification for the Europa League.

The Scottish Cup Final defeat to Hibernian would have brought the more optimistic supporters back down to earth; a not-so-gentle reminder that the team which won the Championship require a good few players to at least compete in the Premiership. Some will still maintain challenging Celtic is a must but Brown has always been more cautious about what can be achieved.

Ironically, he insisted Rangers are better placed to challenge for one of the European places because they won't have the distraction of Europe this season after their defeat at Hampden.

Brown knows the expectation from some, maybe most, supporters will be for the team to at the very least give their old rivals a title battle even if at the moment they two clubs currently operate in hugely different financial parameters. Reality does have a habit of curtailing ambition.

"Would getting to Europe next season be a success? I think it would," said the man known to all as Bomber. "The club has been in a financial position for a number of years because of the previous board. Dave (King) and the rest are sorting all that out. It is going to take time to build up a fund for the manager to take us to the next level again.

"They’ll need to play to a level week-in, week-out because you need to win every game. That’s the way it is when you are at one of the Old Firm. If you have back to back defeats, it’s a crisis at your club.

“They’ll need to show consistency because they are stepping up a level to a better standard of football than they faced in the Championship.

“I didn’t know that he (Brendan Rodgers) has been given £15m to spend. Rangers are building again so I wouldn’t think Mark will get anywhere near that but if you look at what he did last season he brought in players for £100,00 or £200,000 that have added value because of how they’ve performed over the season.

“Mark’s got to freshen the squad up as in the quality of it rather than just numbers. He needs 16-18 players he can rely on to step into the breach. Celtic are still the dominant force and they’ve strengthened. It’s a compliment to Rangers that they’ve done that.”

It is all guess work at the moment but it could be said with as much certainty as you can regarding such matters that Warburton will assemble a side which at the very least finish top six, most likely top three and, if the new players can click, even second.

As things stand, with all the advantages Celtic have over the other eleven sides, for the sixth season in a row it will be their title to lose.

This does not mean Rangers can't at least have a go, of course, something that would have been bordering on impossible if they had won the Scottish Cup.

"The club has been out the top league for a number of years and to then throw in Europe would have been difficult," said Brown. "I look at teams down south who have had to play on a Thursday night, Tottenham for instance, they were fantastic and then would come back to lose on a Sunday to teams they should have been turning over.

"The manager can focus on domestic football. I know the finances would have improved but for the manager to develop his squad, it will definitely help.

"Not playing in Europe will benefit a squad which last season was tight. He has added four players and I would look to get a few more in before the season kicks off. Pre-season is when a lot of work will be done when the agents start shuffling their decks.

“So I think that will be a benefit for the manager. If Rangers get into Europe next season then that would be great – but for this one focus on the domestic side of things and establish themselves back in the league."

This is all incredibly sensible. What some believe to be the opposite was the signing of Joey Barton.

Brown said: "When I heard he had signed, a few of my mates phoned me to say ‘he’s a headcase.’ I said to them that is just social media, he’s a good footballer and you just need to look at the clubs that he’s played for.

“He’s 33 now and I felt between 28 and 34 was at my peak. I remember when Ray Wilkins came up. He would be in the gym to 5pm. Whenever he had the afternoon off he would go to his bed. He would say that his body paid the mortgage so he would have to look after it.

“Joey will be the same. If you are an athlete, that’s what pays the bills. So you have to put everything into it. He is at that age, has great experience and that is what Rangers have been missing."

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