Bocanegra reveals ‘dark days’ after administration

CARLOS Bocanegra has given an insight into the strain being felt by Rangers players since the club was placed into administration, by describing the “dark days” he and his team-mates have experienced as they wait to discover if they will be spared redundancy.

United States international Bocanegra, who has been in Genoa this week for his country’s friendly with Italy last night, gave a candid interview to the New York Times in which he spoke of the uncertainty surrounding all employees at Rangers as they brace themselves for the cutbacks to be announced by the administrators Duff and Phelps.

The central defender, who has won a century of caps for America, said that he and his Ibrox team-mates found it a release when they were involved in matches, but had suffered from the gloom surrounding the club away from matchdays.

“During the games it’s not so difficult because we’re professionals and we’re competitors that want to win,” explained Bocanegra. “The part that is difficult is the mood around the training ground. There’s a lot of uncertainty [among the players and the staff]. Nobody really knows what is happening.

“The mood has changed a little bit where everybody is a bit timid. Obviously the club is in administration at the moment and people are worried about losing their jobs. That’s the worst part of it. That’s never a nice feeling hanging over your head going into work. That’s been disappointing in just the mood around the training ground, not only among the players, but also the staff.

“It has just been dark days the last few weeks. You have to stay upbeat because I don’t know what’s going to happen and nobody knows that magnitude of the situation and what’s going on.”

However, Bocanegra, who signed a three-year deal last August, insisted that he had no regrets about joining Rangers, and had been lifted by the response of fans since the club entered administration.

The 32-year-old former Fulham and Saint-Etienne players said: “I don’t regret going to the club. I’ve loved every minute I’ve been at Rangers. Going to Ibrox right after we went into administration, they sold out and we had 50,000 people at our first game. All the fans got behind the team. It was amazing and I never realised just how big and how popular the Rangers brand was worldwide until I was up there.

“Hopefully we can pull out of this sooner than later, but I’ve really enjoyed my time so far at Rangers and I don’t regret coming here despite the unfortunate circumstances.”