25-11-2014, 17:42
I think if I'd been a player at Rangers at the time, and I'd been presented with TUPE documents from Charles Green - a man I'd never heard of and had no previous affiliation with Rangers - under the heading of 'Sevco Scotland Ltd' (as the new operating company was called at the time, I believe) and not 'Rangers FC Plc' (or whatever the old operating company was called) or indeed any company that doesn't immediately shout "This is Rangers!", I'd be more than hesitant about signing them too.
These payers shouldn't need to know the legal background to TUPEing contracts or anything about company law. It's no surprise to me that so many were hesitant, and went with their agents' advice. They simply didn't know what was going on, and there was little information on offer from Green, McCoist or anyone else involved. I don't doubt for a second either that more than a few of the players at the time didn't particularly trust a single word uttered to them by Charles Green.
I'm not even sure if they'd TUPEd over and been sold, that we would have even seen any of the money. The SFA would likely have hoovered it up illegally as they did with the Steve Davis fee.
Now that's not to say that Naismith and Whittaker in particular should be exonerated by the Rangers fans for their actions. They both released shameful statements to the media which completely misrepresented the situation of the club at the time, and should be hounded for the distress those statements caused to Rangers fans alone.
I just find it difficult to justify hating any of them outright.*
Time will tell how these players will be remembered by Rangers fans in general. Open and honest statements or interviews detailing exactly what went on at the time could well go some distance towards healing the seemingly irrevocable rifts.
*Well, less so for Lafferty, who always was a complete and utter cock.
These payers shouldn't need to know the legal background to TUPEing contracts or anything about company law. It's no surprise to me that so many were hesitant, and went with their agents' advice. They simply didn't know what was going on, and there was little information on offer from Green, McCoist or anyone else involved. I don't doubt for a second either that more than a few of the players at the time didn't particularly trust a single word uttered to them by Charles Green.
I'm not even sure if they'd TUPEd over and been sold, that we would have even seen any of the money. The SFA would likely have hoovered it up illegally as they did with the Steve Davis fee.
Now that's not to say that Naismith and Whittaker in particular should be exonerated by the Rangers fans for their actions. They both released shameful statements to the media which completely misrepresented the situation of the club at the time, and should be hounded for the distress those statements caused to Rangers fans alone.
I just find it difficult to justify hating any of them outright.*
Time will tell how these players will be remembered by Rangers fans in general. Open and honest statements or interviews detailing exactly what went on at the time could well go some distance towards healing the seemingly irrevocable rifts.
*Well, less so for Lafferty, who always was a complete and utter cock.