Rangers: Black day but we have to stay positive, says Ally McCoist

RANGERS manager Ally McCoist last night lamented a “black day” in his club’s history but pledged to remain positive in his efforts to lead his players through the uncertainty of the coming days and weeks.

Like every other employee at Rangers, McCoist’s own position will come under the scrutiny of the administrators appointed yesterday. The 49-year-old’s first season as manager of the club will almost certainly be trophy-free following the automatic 10-point deduction imposed by the SPL.

But that is now of minimal concern as McCoist looks to play his part in helping Rangers emerge from their insolvency event in a sustainable position for the future.

“We will be doing everything to make sure Rangers comes out the other side far better and far stronger,” said McCoist. “There’s no getting away from it. It has been a very disappointing and black day.

“We have 140 years of fantastic history at this football club but the most important thing is that we look to the future and the next 140 years.

“Going into administration obviously wasn’t ideal but it’s the opinion of many people that it might be the best thing for this football club.

“Everybody at this football club wants the club to continue, which it will do for sure, and this might just be the best way forward. So we have to adjust to what’s happened, react to it and take the club forward and we aim to do that.

“I’m very positive. I have to be and we all have to be at this time and in this situation. There is no place for negativity and there can’t be.

“There is no hiding from the facts and you can’t argue with those but we are where we are and we’re faced with what we’re faced with, and we have to be positive.

“I’ve spoken to Craig Whyte, to the staff and to the players and we all agree that we must do our best to take the club forward. That will be the case and I can assure all the fans of that.

“The players are professionals. We have a fantastic group of, a talented group and they are at home in training and on the pitch. That will not change.

“Obviously like everybody else there will be people concerned about their jobs and their welfare and we appreciate that. But everybody is of the same opinion, that we must rally together and take this great club forward.”

For the Rangers players addressed by Whyte at Murray Park early yesterday morning, the imminent entry into administration could come as no surprise.

Despite a widespread perception that professional footballers go about their business in some way detached from the realities of life, those plying their trade at Ibrox have become accustomed to operating against a backdrop of grim financial uncertainty.

“We’ve been put through circumstances that were unforeseeable when you sign for this club,” were the heartfelt words of Maurice Edu back in October as speculation over Rangers’ fiscal prospects under Whyte gathered pace.

“It would affect us the same as anyone else, we’d be out of work and have to find another job,” he added, dismissing the notion that he and his well remunerated team-mates were somehow cosseted from the potential ramifications of an insolvency event.

The American midfielder, who may now rue Rangers’ decision to reject an offer from French club Sochaux for his services during the January transfer window, is now among those facing an anxious wait to discover how the club’s financial crisis directly affects them.

Rangers have 33 first-team squad players, including six currently out at other clubs on loan. They also have a further 31 players in their reserve and under-19 squads. It is inevitable that some of them will lose their jobs. When Motherwell became the first Scottish club to enter administration almost 10 years ago, they made 19 of their then 51-strong playing staff redundant.

Those who were laid off included 10 players whose contract were due to expire at the end of the 2001-02 season in any case.

Of the current Rangers first- team squad, six have contracts which run out at the end of this season – Sasa Papac, David Healy, Salim Kerkar, Andrew Little, Sone Aluko and the recently re-signed Daniel Cousin. Six others have just over a year remaining on their contracts – the aforementioned Edu, Kyle Lafferty, Kirk Broadfoot, Lee McCulloch, John Fleck and Neil Alexander. Edu and Lafferty had been in the process of negotiating extended contracts with the club but may now be among those most vulnerable to being deemed expendable by an administrator.

As has been witnessed during other administrations, including the two experienced by Dundee, another obvious option is to offload the club’s highest earning players.

At Rangers, that would leave goalkeeper Allan McGregor and club captain Steven Davis, regarded as the most valuable playing assets following the sale of Nikica Jelavic to Everton last month, as candidates for redundancy.

Players could also be offered the chance to re-negotiate their contracts at lower salaries in order to remain with a new, fiscally slimlined Rangers.

But for those such as McGregor and Davis, along with Edu, Lafferty, Lee Wallace, Carlos Bocanegra, Dorin Goian, that would represent an unappealing prospect when they would regard themselves capable of finding alternative top level employment elsewhere.