GRAEME SOUNESS looks at Celtic struggling to make the step-up in the Champions League and the rest of Scottish football trying to close the gap to the Parkhead side and sees an obvious parallel.

Rangers are Souness’s biggest concern – he still describes himself as a fan some 25 years after leaving Ibrox as manager – and the evidence of this season tells him that they are still some way behind their greater rivals.

Five years behind, to be exact.

Souness believes the only way to bridge that gap is to spend cold, hard cash.

The financial climate, of course, has changed substantially since his era when money was apparently no object, although that approach didn’t have the happiest of endings as Rangers fans know only too well.

On a flying visit back to Scotland to promote an event he is appearing in with Joe Jordan next week, Souness called on chairman Dave King and the rest of the Rangers board to provide the sort of levels of investment that has been hinted at many times in the past without ever materialising.

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Souness said: “You can't come out and say you're going to spend this and spend that if you haven't got it. If you end up not spending it, that is a mistake because it raised the expectations of the support.

“Rangers supporters have proven themselves over the last few years, turning up in the numbers they have done to home and away games. They expect and now the owners have got to support the manager.

"Mark's working with a very limited budget and these two results have been unexpected.

“These two results against Celtic are, I think, quite predictable. But hopefully we'll get better, and in the next three or four transfer windows Rangers can be lucky and they can find some money from somewhere. Because that's what it's going to take.

“There's no magician out there who could come in and do things any differently. There's no super coach who could do things any differently. It needs better players, simple as that.

“The owner needs to find some money for the manager because he's operating with one hand tied behind his back at the moment.

"As a Rangers supporter, we can feel disappointed about losing to Celtic again but I think it's to be expected. They're five years ahead of us.

"That doesn't mean it'll be like this for the next five years but certainly in the last five years they've had far more opportunity to strengthen than we have. We're playing catch-up, we'll need some clever buying, we'll need some money and we’ll need some luck.”

Souness has watched Celtic’s struggles in Europe this season and knows there is a similar gulf to be overcome on the Scottish domestic scene.

He added: "The Champions League is another level. Look at Celtic going to Barcelona and getting beat 7-0 going on 10 because Barca pulled up at seven. It's a good analogy - the gulf in Scottish football right now between Celtic and the rest.

“But with Hearts and Aberdeen - the expectation isn't there. Mark is having to put up with the history that's gone back over 100 years.

"That's what he's having to deal with, that and the expectation from the Rangers supporters, “Oh, we're back [in the top flight], we're going to win it”. That was never going to happen.

"I wouldn't put a number on where they might finish. Because with the passion that's there in home games, they could go on a roll easily. If that happens, yeah, they could finish second.”

Souness will return to Glasgow next week, sharing a stage with Jordan as they look back over their careers. He added: "I'm looking forward to coming here with Joe next week.

" I'm sure people will find it very interesting. It's my life story, it's his life story and there will be a few laughs in there too, I'm sure. If there are any young guys in then hopefully it will encourage them to pursue their dreams as well.”

- Graeme Souness and Joe Jordan are appearing at the Royal Concert Hall in the first Legends of Football event on Thursday, November 3. For more information and tickets visit http://legendsof-football.com