I think it is the end of the road for Allan McGregor at Rangers now that his private life has directly affected his playing career.
A club, or a manager, can cope with a player being plastered on the front pages of the newspapers if it has no impact on their ability to do the business on the park.
That is no longer the case for the goalkeeper after he was the victim of an alleged assault at the weekend and is now rated doubtful for Sunday’s Old Firm game.
I honestly don’t think he will play for Rangers again this season and I’d be amazed if he isn’t sold in the summer. I don’t see how he can continue to play for the club and live in Glasgow after this latest episode.
When you become a target, then you simply have to move elsewhere. However, I’m not blaming him for what is claimed to have happened on Saturday night.
By all accounts, he was attacked for no good reason as he was waiting for a taxi in the city centre. And it is a sad state of affairs when a professional footballer can’t go out without someone wanting to confront them.
Unfortunately, that is the way things are nowadays. And it is the fact he put himself in such a position which will have infuriated Walter Smith.
Can you imagine the manager’s reaction when he was notified of the latest twist in the McGregor saga?
I’d imagine he was absolutely livid when he was informed and I’m fairly sure he had a few choice words for the player.
Actually, I think Walter will be so angry he won’t start him on Sunday even if he is fit enough. And you couldn’t blame him either if that is the decision he reaches. I also think Neil Alexander will take over until the end of the season if he comes in for Sunday’s match.
Look at the overall situation. As things stand, McGregor is a serious doubt for Sunday’s match. It is, without question, the most important game of Rangers’ season to date and Smith appears to be deprived of someone he will have regarded as a key man.
If a player is missing through suspension or an injury picked up in training then a manager accepts it as part and parcel of the game.
But would it have been asking too much of McGregor to expect him to stay clear of the city centre just a week before such an important game? I don’t think so. And that, I’d imagine, is what his manager might have said to him.
Whether players like it or not, the city centre is now fraught with danger for them. It isn’t the same as it was in my day. When I was a player I enjoyed going for a few beers with the boys after a game.
Present-day players, however, have to be more careful. Gordon Strachan was slaughtered for banning his players from the city centre when he was in charge at Celtic after some of his squad were involved outside a nightclub.
I think Walter should now do the same with his players. There is a time and a place for nights out and this is not it. Allan, I’m afraid, is about to learn the hard way.
In fairness to him, I think he is a decent enough lad. He has just made a wrong decision and it will probably suit him better in the long run if he does leave Rangers and Glasgow at the end of the season for England or abroad.
One big push should do it ...
Rangers only have to avoid defeat this weekend to take a massive step towards the SPL championship.
The pressure is all on Celtic on Sunday as they must go to Ibrox and emerge with all three points if they want to haul themselves back into con-tention for first place.
Celtic boss Tony Mowbray has admitted as much in the build-up to the big match.
In the past, Walter Smith would have opted for a 4-5-1 formation and tried to soak up pressure and hit Celtic on the break.
However, I don’t think that will be the case on Sunday. I think he will send his players out to try and win.
If there is one weakness in the Celtic team, it’s in defence. So what would be the point of playing with one up front?
I’ve no doubts Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller will both start the game if fit.
As things stand, Rangers are seven points clear of Celtic at the top of the table with a game in hand.
Give Walter the option of that still being the case after the game, and he’ll bite your hand off for that.
If Celtic are to make a fist of this title race, they need to start eating into Rangers’ advantage.
I’m not going to say failure to do so this weekend will mean it is all over, you don’t know what’s around the corner.
However, I think a Rangers victory would more or less ease them over the line.
It must be a nice feeling for the Rangers players to know they could take such a big step towards the title.
If you are Miller or Boyd, all that is in your head is going out there to score the goal that might well just prove to be decisive come the end of the season.
They won’t require any more motivation than that.
I think we will see goals at Ibrox … but it’s an impossible one to predict.
Craig’s positive start
Craig Levein’s first Scotland squad included a few surprises, but I’m confident we’ll make big strides under the new manager.
I admit he wasn’t my first choice.
However, the SFA though he was the right man for the job and I’ve got to say I’ve been impressed with the way he has gone about his business since taking up the post.
His first major decision was to open the door to a return for Barry Ferguson, Allan McGregor, Lee McCulloch and Kris Boyd.
Obviously only two of them have been included in his first squad, but I expect Barry and Allan to feature in the future.
Levein has also welcomed back Charlie Adam, which I’m pleased to see as he has been outstanding for Blackpool this season.
The inclusion of the two Dundee United lads, Paul Dixon and Garry Kenneth, did come as a bit of a surprise.
However, the manager has worked with both at Tannadice and rates them highly. We aren’t blessed with the best players in the world, but if we can make ourselves difficult to beat and are well organised, we’ll have a chance of being successful.
It will be interesting how we perform against the Czech Republic next month, but the Tartan Army shouldn’t expect miracles from Craig.
He needs to be given time and it’s when the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign kicks-off he should be judged.
