Jorg Albertz: Rangers ‘ugly’ politics leaves three legends out in the cold at Ibrox event
The fallout from the “ugly” political situation at Rangers has left Jorg Albertz sad and angry as it excluded club greats from yesterday’s legends match.
Gers celebrated their 150th anniversary at Ibrox on Saturday (26 March) with a game between a Light Blues legends side featuring Paul Gascoigne and a World XI that included the likes of Luis Figo and Kaka.
Albertz played but was unhappy to see which names were absent thanks to the continuing disharmony in light of the Sydney Super Cup, which he says must be sorted urgently to avoid further distractions for the team.
Writing in the Sunday Mail, the 51-year-old said of the legends game: “Some faces were surprisingly absent so there was sadness too.
“The club should take pride in these players and men such as Mark Hateley, Richard Gough and Derek Johnstone.
“That’s why their removal as club ambassadors is concerning.
“Having them around the club should be a given but is there a belief within the board that they are too aligned to former chairman Dave King? I don’t know.
“It’s all a bit too insecure and lacking in respect for men who deserve better.
“For a few weeks now the fall-out from the Sydney Super Cup has been brewing and now it’s spilling out with nasty statements.
“It’s all getting a bit ugly and unbecoming of such a great club.”
He outlines how Stewart Robertson and Club 1872, who are currently engaged in a war of words, should meet to clear the air, saying: “So heads should be knocked together.
“Maybe that will force the board to have a change of heart – but all of this anger and aggressive language has to stop now.”
Childish
Not letting people play a game because they are friends with someone you don’t like is a top example of playground behaviour.
Albertz is right that the current argument is causing damage well beyond the proposed Old Firm friendly.
And if one side does not decide to be the bigger party soon it will continue to snowball.
Those at boardroom level are using the club as a vessel to squabble with rivals, and the business of winning actual football matches is being left behind.
If it wasn’t clear enough that something needed to be done when fan protests affected the team’s rhythm at Dundee it should be now.
A 150th anniversary celebration, by definition, comes around once in a lifetime, and prominent figures in Gers history were not there.
They will never get that back, and the reported 38,000 who packed into Ibrox won’t either.
That more fans were in attendance to see two teams of middle aged men play a friendly than many teams could ever dream of for their biggest game, shows the importance of the fans.
The club doesn’t seem to care, but if this drags on a gets in the way of trophies at the end of the season, things could get even more ugly.
In other Rangers news, the club face a major injury headache ahead of the Old Firm derby.