Rothen still sour?

[metlika 0]

Madjid Bougherra rejected Rangers' attempts to sell him in the January transfer window, according to his former team-mate Jerome Rothen. The Ibrox club moved on high earner Pedro Mendes and froze out Rothen, who ended his season-long loan from Paris Saint Germain and switched to play for Turkish club Ankaragucu.

 

Rothen claims that Bougherra was also on his former club's hitlist of players to sell during the transfer window, amidst financial uncertainty and a lack of investment in new blood within the squad.

 

ââ?¬Å?They moved on Pedro Mendes, who went to Sporting Lisbon,ââ?¬Â Rothen told So Foot magazine. ââ?¬Å?They also wanted Bougherra to leave, but he didn't accept. He said he wouldn't be leaving until June.

 

ââ?¬Å?They wanted to save money. With the salary I had, they would save at least six months' worth if they moved me along.ââ?¬Â

 

Rothen played just eight times for Rangers but found himself cast aside after a number of indifferent performances in a light blue jersey.

 

His final came in the team's embarrassing 4-1 home defeat to Romanian side Unirea Urziceni in the Champions League and Rothen had further criticism for his former boss, Walter Smith, who didn't play the Frenchman again after his performance in that game.

 

"He dismissed me without saying anything," said Rothen. "I didn't open my mouth but I said to myself that it could not possibly be a sporting decision.

 

"Maybe the coach wanted me to rest for a while, but I started asking myself questions after three games."

 

http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/rangers/169034-bougherra-said-no-to-january-rangers-exit/

 

 

To me he still seems sour and its just a bit of shit stirring but you never know.

[andy steel 0]

There would be some weight behind his gripe were the team to have played worse since he left. He ought to have started asking himself questions years ago, maybe then he wouldn't have ended up a bit part player in a shit league.

[Danny 0]

Sour grapes from him but he was treated extremely unfairly and rather badly. As he says, he got frozen out after the defeat to Unirea, and there was never any explanation why.

 

Walter's got previous for this with similar types of player in the past - Buffel, Gow.

 

It's one significant criticism I have of Walter.

 

And it would leave a grudge on the part of the players he treats in such ways.

[Guest Flying Hippo]

Jerome was Rothen in every game he played for us other than the away game in Stuttgart. Dingying him is not something that Walter should have to explain!

[calscot 0]

If Walter keeps winning two trophies every season, I have no objection to who he freezes out. I can't imagine he does it without good reason.Rothen, Gow and Buffel have not exactly showed us he should have given them more game time and I don't know why people think Walter being a strong manager is worthy of criticism.

 

Walter is highly praised as a man manager by far better players than them, who have far better attitudes and played far better for us. Just ask Laudrup and Gatusso, who was stupidly played out of position and then frozen out and sold by DA.

 

You have to have players who are willing to play for you, your way and put in the proper shifts in training and on the pitch. If they don't then it would be stupid to play them.

 

At Rangers we can afford to freeze out players who don't do it for the team, what we can't afford is passengers who don't fit in with the managers plans, especially when they are on a high wage.

[Super_Ally 0]

Agree with the two posts above. No qualms about the way Rothen was treated.

[Danny 0]

Jerome was Rothen in every game he played for us other than the away game in Stuttgart. Dingying him is not something that Walter should have to explain!

 

He wasn't exactly Messi but he was no worse than anyone else during that time when, lest we forget, we were second in the league, playing terribly, and we got humiliated in the CL.

 

My point has always been why he was made the scapegoat when no more guilty of poor form than any other player in the team.

[Super_Ally 0]

He wasn't exactly Messi but he was no worse than anyone else during that time when, lest we forget, we were second in the league, playing terribly, and we got humiliated in the CL.

 

My point has always been why he was made the scapegoat when no more guilty of poor form than any other player in the team.

 

Won the league and league cup. I would suggest the ends justify the means. Why do peopel obssess over mediocre players when we're being succesful.

 

Also Smith sees a lot more of these players than we do. He watches them in training. Perhaps some players don't just underperform in games, but have a bad attitude in training.

 

It is ridiculous to expect Smith to explain every managerial decision he makes.

[Zappa 0]

With a player like Rothen I can't help thinking that the language barrier was a step too far for him. He barely spoke a word of English when he came here and picking up a new language quickly isn't something that everyone is capable of doing. The faster of learners could pick up English from scratch in 3 months of intensive practice, but others will take years, with some people even never fully getting to grips with it.

 

If language was indeed a problem for Rothen, then it causes problems for others in the team as well as the coaches at training.

[Danny 0]

If Walter keeps winning two trophies every season, I have no objection to who he freezes out.

 

But I'm allowed to criticise, right? I mean, it would be silly if I wasn't allowed to make a negative comment over something I deem worthy of it. This doesn't detract from how excellent over the piece I believe Walter's been for us.

 

I can't imagine he does it without good reason.

 

I would just like to know the good reason then.

 

Rothen, Gow and Buffel have not exactly showed us he should have given them more game time and I don't know why people think Walter being a strong manager is worthy of criticism.

 

Rothen: I explained my logic behind this one.

Gow: He was superb in a pre-season friendly but never featured for us at all in the league. How did he show 'us' anything when he was never picked?

Buffel: Has to be said the fans were screaming out for him when our form was poor, and in the few meagre sub appearances he got he showed plenty of ability. He just wasn't fancied by the management.

 

Walter is highly praised as a man manager by far better players than them, who have far better attitudes and played far better for us. Just ask Laudrup and Gatusso, who was stupidly played out of position and then frozen out and sold by DA.

 

So, it's unnacceptable when it's Gattuso done by DA but ok when it was Rothen/Buffel/Gow by Smith for no good tangible reason aside 'in Walter we trust'?

 

You have to have players who are willing to play for you, your way and put in the proper shifts in training and on the pitch. If they don't then it would be stupid to play them.

 

Any negative attitude which came from Rothen (and I assume he's the one you mean because I don't recall any problems with Buffel or Gow) came as a result of being frozen out. Not the other way around.

 

At Rangers we can afford to freeze out players who don't do it for the team, what we can't afford is passengers who don't fit in with the managers plans, especially when they are on a high wage.

 

Why is there being an assumption made that Rothen was a passenger? I can accept he didn't fit in with Walter's plans, mainly because it seems he wasn't signed by Walter, but I'm less sure how he was a passenger.