| Retirement beckons for David Weir. |
Even in this modern age of advanced sports science, record-breaking achievements, and general advance in athletic ability, it is still a surprise to see players participating in top-level sports beyond a certain age.
In football, it reached the point where supporters must have felt Paolo Maldini's attempts at cheating the ageing process were linked to a portrait hidden in a Milanese apartment attic.
But the history pages of every top sport are keenly punctuated with the tales of those who went on for just one season too many. Those who fought for sporting immortality, but began to diminish their legend, whether through a sustained or sudden deterioration or a cycle of retiral and return owing more to ego or the chance to remain in the glare.
Such selfish notions are certainly not the case when we consider David Weir, but nevertheless it is hard to resist the notion that this is a season too far.
The warm jokes and references to David's advanced age - brought emphatically to the boil when it was pointed out that others long since gone such as Amoruso, Moore, De Boer and co. were in fact younger than the Rangers Captain - have now acquired a bitter edge.
In all of this, the fondness, admiration and respect for Weir should not be forgotten or easily dismissed. A Rangers fan who took so long to come to the Club, and who then became a double-winning captain and displayed the character and demeanour to allow him to fit well within the framework of other greats and giants of the Club, David Weir has no reason to look upon his career and ponder missed opportunities or contemplate a lack of success or impact.
Indeed, in the Autumn of his professional vocation, his organisational instincts and marshalling prowess enabled others such as Carlos Cuellar and Madjid Bougherra to improve their game and reputation, even if they often stole the limelight from the more steady influence.
However, it is now clear that faced with the task of accommodating the part-time talents of Lee McCulloch, while attempting to cover the defensive deficiencies of Papac and (especially) Whittaker, it has all become too much. He has aged considerably, both in physical appearance and his on-field performances, and we have to face the fact that a (nearly) 40 year old is not the answer.
His continued presence - the fact his name is first on the team sheet, regardless of opposition - is now a problem. And an indictment of Walter Smith; not only for not bringing in adequate cover for the position but also for having to go back on his word to afford the player the necessary rest to enable him to be as close to his best as is now possible.
David Weir is now, sadly but irrevocably, unfit for purpose.
The defence, regardless of personnel, suffers from a lack of communication and our entire set-up - the very nature of our approach to games - is predicated upon the need to ensure David is not caught out: hence our instinct to defend deep, to allow teams to come on to us, and our reluctance to press and harass teams in their own half.
A captain must either lead by example or guide and inspire through their words and their strong personality. Nobody would deny that Weir is a good man, but he is quiet on the pitch, and his performance level is no longer enough to satisfy the other criteria.
We thank him for his contribution, but for Rangers to move on, a new captain must be found to complement the (anticipated) new manager and new ownership.
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