RANGERS will have to stick, twist or fold. Whatever hand they play, the gamble has to pay off in terms of success and silverware.
Alex McLeish sat at the table often enough to know the position that Giovanni van Bronckhorst finds himself in as he considers his options ahead of the summer transfer window.
Budgets must be balanced and players prioritised as the Dutchman reshapes the squad he inherited from Steven Gerrard and puts his own stamp and style on it ahead of his first full campaign as manager.
In some ways, Van Bronckhorst is powerless. In others, he is the master of his own destiny as he seeks to build on the run to the Europa League final and the Scottish Cup triumph next time out.
Contacts will be utilised, targets will be identified and deals will be done but the Ibrox boss cannot control the future when it comes to the likes of Joe Aribo, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos as they enter the final year of their current deals.
Van Bronckhorst has already been given a significant summer boost after Connor Goldson committed to Rangers for the long term and put pen-to-paper on a new four-year contract as speculation over a move away was ended in an instant.
Whilst a handful of other key men choose to keep their cards close to their chests, Van Bronckhorst can only sit and hope for the best. McLeish is keen to see fortune favour the brave at Ibrox.
"It's a huge decision and it would be really tough to take if they left for nothing," McLeish said.
"It was like me at the end of that season losing seven or eight players and you've got a month to go before pre-season training starts and you are trying to regenerate the squad.
"You end up with free transfers coming in. Guys who have been great players but are maybe not at the peak of their careers any more.
"That's hugely difficult and, as I say, that's when the recruitment has to be great.
"A lot of Rangers players have been touted for big, big money and would fill the coffers up greatly, but can you get a replacement?
"Yes, I would definitely be trying to get them to extend because it will take so much money to replace them with similar quality.
"The difficulty in this world is that they will all be wanting to play in a better league and that's no disrespect to our fantastic country.
"But it's the Scottish League and if an English Premier League side comes in, their ears prick up.
"If someone comes in with the right offer, it will be hard even for Rangers or Celtic to turn down."
The bright lights and big cheques of England's highest echelon hold a natural appeal and a move across the border would be the obvious route for many of Rangers' most sellable assets to take this summer.
The future of Calvin Bassey is not as pressing a concern in terms of his contract but the £25million-rated defender, linked with the likes of Aston Villa and Fulham in recent times, presents a different issue for the Ibrox board.
"Every week in England, I am asked about Calvin Bassey," McLeish said. "Is he going, is this one or that one going?
"The prices that are now being touted are astronomical and it's credit to Rangers and the players for getting to the level they are playing at. They've raised the bar and raised the fees.
"But if the players are staying, they have to be fully committed. I am sure they've come to Rangers and been flabbergasted at the level of that club and their status in the world as a club.
"A lot of them would want to stay for that reason but at the end of the day, if there's an opportunity to play in the richest and best league in the world, then it will be hard to stop some of them leaving.
"And them dragging their contracts out is the worst nightmare for the manager. Yet, if they leave at the end of their contracts but have a spectacular final season, do you think maybe it was worth it?"
The sale of Bassey would go a long way to boosting the transfer kitty that Van Bronckhorst will have at his disposal this summer and it will take a record fee for Rangers to consider doing business.
It is set to be a period of change at Ibrox during the close season. There is obvious interest in the outgoings, but those that come in to make up Van Bronckhorst's squad are of a greater importance.
McLeish said: "I never, ever, trusted players coming in who I hadn't seen with my own eyes, unless he was a household name and in that case you paid over the odds money.
"I know Celtic use the City Group network and they have one or two people working for them in different parts of the world but [Ange] Postecoglou knew those players he brought inside out.
"When I went to Rangers, I took over Dick's team. He had just lost his way - we were at a dinner a few weeks ago and he told me he was tired and it was time for a change.
"I just looked at a couple of things and changed a wee bit of the players' strategies. There were a lot of very talented players but they were trying to walk the ball into the net. I got them to play a bit faster and it all worked for us.
"The players heard a different voice and the next season we won the Treble.
"That's when we hit the recruitment problem because the budget was downsizing and at Rangers you still have to play and be at a level that the fans expect. That's where recruitment is so tough.
"If Giovanni has a black book of potential players, which I'm sure he will have, I'm sure they won't come cheap and will be of high quality.
"He will want to bring the same level of quality, or better, that he has managed this season."
*Alex McLeish was promoting Premier Sports live and exclusive coverage of Armenia v Scotland (8th June) and Republic of Ireland v Scotland (11th June). Premier Sports is available from £9.99 per month and available on the platforms Sky, Virgin TV, Premier Player and Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription.
