Stephen Halliday: Ross Perry caught up in confusion

IF there has often been a sense of confusion around the unravelling Rangers crisis, Ross Perry has revealed it was shared by the club’s players as their pay-cut deal was negotiated last week, writes Stephen Halliday.

The young defender admits he and many of his team-mates were simply bewildered by the pace of events before negotiations were finally concluded late last Friday night to stave off widespread redundancies at the club. “We were all in a very difficult position,” said Perry. “To be honest, half the stuff we were getting told was over my head. We would come into the meeting room at Murray Park, then head next door to the canteen to watch Sky Sports News. It was on there before we actually knew what was going on.

“So I was in the same position as all my friends and family, I knew just as much as the next person. No player wants to be in that position but it was something we had to do. All the players were together and had a real focus on keeping everyone, not just the players, but all the staff, together. We see ourselves as a family at Rangers. The players are in a privileged position. If we can do anything to keep the family together, then that is what we are going to do.”

Perry is relieved to have spent his time exclusively on the training pitch at Murray Park this week and the 22-year-old will be a key man for injury and suspension-ravaged Rangers against Dundee United. Defenders Carlos Bocanegra, Dorin Goian, Sasa Papac, Kirk Broadfoot, Kyle Bartley and Steven Whittaker are all unavailable, leaving an extra onus on Scotland under-21 international Perry. “I’ve had the opportunity in the last few games to get a bit of game time,” he said. “It will be a relief to get back to playing and hopefully the manager has seen enough to stick by me.”