Allan McGregor won't stand heat in Turkey oven with Besiktas

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Allan McGregor won't stand heat in Turkey oven with Besiktas

THE last two high-profile Scottish players to move to Turkey to play their football did not enjoy the greatest of experiences.

Allan McGregor has signed a two-year deal with Besiktas after passing his medical
Allan McGregor has signed a two-year deal with Besiktas after passing his medical

And I have serious doubts whether Allan McGregor, who will play for Besiktas in the coming season, will settle there either.

Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd moved to Bursaspor and Eskisehirspor respectively because they were offered big bucks to do so.

Kenny failed to settle and moved on to Cardiff City, while Kris was forced to instigate legal proceedings after he did not receive the wages his club had agreed to pay him.

I believe the non-payment of players is not uncommon over there. One thing is for sure, Allan is not going to make himself a better player in Turkey. He is, purely and simply, I believe, moving for money. Of course, that is up to him.

He has signed a two-year deal, with the option of a one-year extension, and I am sure he will try to maximise his earnings during that time.

But will he be happy over there? It is nice going to Turkey for a couple of weeks on holiday. But staying over there for eight or nine months is a different matter entirely.

How will he take to the different culture? How will he get on without his friends and family nearby? He has a baby with his partner. Will they join him and, if so, how will they settle? There is a lot to deal with. It will take him time.

His position in the Scotland team is fairly secure. Craig Gordon is the biggest, perhaps only, threat to his place, and he is without a club since being released by Sunderland in the summer.

I am sure Allan will enjoy meeting up with the national team for the simple reason that it will give him three or four days back in his homeland to be among his countrymen.

To be fair to McGregor, he has been an absolute legend for Rangers. The fans loved him and he loved them.

But I am not sure he will be welcomed back at Ibrox with open arms after leaving them in the lurch in their greatest hour of need. The same goes for Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty, Steven Naismith and Steven Whittaker.

I have no problem with these guys leaving. The problem I have is that they did so without ensuring the newco made some money from them.

They had fees written into their contracts with Rangers when they agreed to take a pay cut after the club went into administration back in February. They could have been sold for cut-price figures, for £1million, for £2 million.

Instead, they decided to make themselves some money in their club's greatest hour of need. That is what gets my goat. It puzzles me that no English club made a move. He is Scotland's No.1 goalkeeper, he has been outstanding for Rangers both domestically and in Europe in recent seasons and was available for nothing.

So why did no move materialise? I think his size maybe counted against him. English clubs like keepers to be physically imposing, to come out for crosses. That is not Allan's game.

Fair play, meanwhile, to stand-in keeper Neil Alexander for pledging his future to the club. He could quite easily have chosen to leave. But, like Kirk Broadfoot, Lee McCulloch and Ross Perry, he decided to stay.

That is exactly what the fans want to hear. Chances are, too, Perry will blossom as a result. He will get regular first-team football and will develop as a player. I'm not sure the players who have left will be able to say the same.

I have not been surprised to see Ian Black, Craig Beattie, Kevin Kyle and Robbie Savage being linked with a move to Rangers even though they will be playing in the Third Division. The bottom line is that it is still Rangers.

These players will be playing at Ibrox, they will be playing in front of thousands of supporters, they will be able to use great training facilities at Murray Park and they will be getting handsomely remunerated for their efforts.

They may not be getting paid what Rangers used to pay, but, by Scottish football standards, it will be attractive.

The chance to take them from the bottom rung of the ladder to the top is one that will be attractive to many players.

Despite everything that has happened, it is a massive club and playing for it, even in the Third Division, is a huge lure.

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