Iâ??m not welcome at Ibrox and that breaks my heart

[ian1964 10,467]

IBROX was home sweet home for Kyle Lafferty for four years.

Now, though, he doesnâ??t feel he could even walk through the front door.

 

It hurts like hell for the three-times SPL title winner and lifelong Gers fan.

 

Lafferty was part of a mass dressing-room exodus in the summer as Rangers crashed into liquidation.

 

Steven Davis, Steven Naismith, Steven Whittaker, Allan McGregor, Maurice Edu, Jamie Ness, Rhys McCabe and Kirk Broadfoot all took advantage of playersâ?? union advice to walk away from contracts.

 

In some cases they cost Rangers potentially millions in transfer fees.

 

The idea of slumming it in the Third Division was too much to bear for those worried about their career prospects and impact on international hopes.

 

Bitter takeover frontman Charles Green slammed them all as opportunists and mercenaries.

 

SunSport understands chief executive Green is still pursuing a number of them, including Lafferty, with the threat of possible court action next month.

 

While thereâ??s the pain of being regarded an outcast, the Northern Ireland striker still has no regrets over his own dramatic decision to quit Rangers.

 

Six months on, and highly content with life at Swiss club FC Sion, Lafferty has revealed his decision to leave was made for his family.

 

Not, as Green suspects, for his own personal gain. Lafferty gave his first major interview since his Ibrox exit to SunSport and opened up on the most soul-searching move of his football life.

 

The 25-year-old said: â??I know there was a lot of anger towards those players who left, a lot of accusations flying about. Things were said that were harsh and out of order.

 

â??I can only speak for myself. Let me make it clear my decision to leave Rangers was actually made five or six months before the club even went into administration.

 

â??There was an incident when I was out with Nic, then my fiancee, who was pregnant with Taylor.

 

â??She was sat in the passenger seat of my car while Iâ??d gone to pay for petrol. A brick came flying through the back window and she was left terrified.

 

â??Given her condition she was badly shaken by it. And, as you can imagine, I was furious.

 

â??A few things had also happened before that, but what went on that night was the last straw.

 

â??All I could think about was what might have happened to Nic and our son. It scared the both of us.

 

â??There and then I felt I had to get out of Glasgow, leave Rangers, the first opportunity I could. Just get away from the UK altogether and start again abroad. The chance came during the summer â?? and I took it.

 

â??I knew it would leave people angry, and I understood why. But as far as I was concerned I only did what anyone else would â?? that is, make my family my priority and do what was best for them.

 

â??It still wasnâ??t a decision I took lightly. But nothing was going to change my mind.

 

â??Sion made their interest known and I was impressed by everything they had to offer.

 

â??Parma wanted me to go to Italy while there were also offers from Russia, Turkey and Greece. But Sion and Switzerland felt right â?? and Iâ??ve never regretted it.

 

â??Maybe the only thing I would have wanted to happen was for Rangers to get money for me but the situation wasnâ??t of my making, I took advice, and that was it.

 

â??Now, we can lead our lives without fear of being bothered. Iâ??m recognised in Sion, of course, but people here only have respect for me and my family.

 

â??Glasgowâ??s a great city and the majority of folk there were nothing but fantastic to me, even a lot of Celtic fans. But there were was still an element only interested in making trouble.

 

â??Things happened in my first two years at Rangers and I was never going to be allowed to forget them.

 

â??Iâ??m the first to admit there was self-inflicted stuff. The diving episode where I got Charlie Mulgrew sent off in a game against Aberdeen at Ibrox, which Iâ??m still embarrassed about, and the spat with Neil Lennon. They were stupid moments and I regret them. Believe me. But there were other things out of my control, that were just conveniently used against me.

 

â??When it got to the stage where Nic was getting dragged into it then enough was enough.

 

â??Itâ??s all behind me now. Iâ??ve moved on by joining Sion. Out here we donâ??t get any hassle off the park.

 

â??Weâ??re coming back to Scotland in the next week or so to see family and friends. But I know I wonâ??t be welcome at Ibrox â?? and thatâ??s hard for me.

 

â??Iâ??ve still got a lot of friends there and Iâ??d love to go back and see them.

 

â??I donâ??t think it would be wise after what happened in the summer.

 

â??Thereâ??s someone in particular who has made their feelings clear about me.

 

â??I know the likes of Ally McCoist and Kenny McDowall wouldnâ??t have a problem with me popping in but I donâ??t want to cause them any grief.

 

â??Hopefully, though, there will come a time when I feel I can walk in the front door. Iâ??d really like that. Rangers is my club and always will be.

 

â??I wish the players, the management and the people behind the scenes nothing but the best.

 

â??I had a fallout with Ally a few months before I left. But we spoke before I left and we made our peace. I was really happy about that.

 

â??Now Iâ??m delighted to see Rangers getting things together.

 

â??Young boys like Barrie McKay and Lewis Macleod are making a name for themselves and that doesnâ??t surprise because they are brilliant talents.

 

â??And Lee McCullochâ??s the perfect captain. Jig got a new contract recently and he deserved that.â?

[the gunslinger 3,366]

I always liked lafferty more than most. good luck to him.

[Gribz 743]

The grass isnt greener on the other side. Perhaps he is finally maturing plus realises what a let down he was in his days as a Rangers player both on and off the park. He never helped himself with his antics.

 

The personal stuff is understandable, for bricks to go threw his car window inst acceptable and I could see why he's want out then.

 

But he still left the club in the lurch in the summer. He wasnt a vocal one like Whittaker and Naismith who's interview still makes me cringe thinking about it.

[54andcounting 0]

Kyle Lafferty the striker who bagged all three in a row - a proper legend who got caught up in washing.

 

All the best mate.

[der Berliner 3,302]

At the end of the day, nothing - as in: NOTHING - would have stopped him and Naismith and McGregor et al to sign on with the new company and still leave for pastures new afterwards. The club would easily have accepted relatively low key transfer fees. I can understand their decision, no problem at all. Thanks for the goals, thanks for the memories. But forgive him/them doing what they did when the club was in dire peril and in next to no way to defend itself? After the next month of Sundays maybe.

[54andcounting 0]

We survived without them.

[Gribz 743]

Steven Davis, Steven Naismith, Steven Whittaker, Allan McGregor, Maurice Edu, Jamie Ness, Rhys McCabe and Kirk Broadfoot all took advantage of players’ union advice to walk away from contracts

 

Edu? I thought he transferred his deal over then was let to move to Stoke??

 

Looking at that list Ive not seen ONE of them make an impact at their new clubs.

[54andcounting 0]

When Willie Johnston was humped out the door for money I was devastated....we survived without him.

 

Don't slag off former players, especially after what happened this year.

[bossy 0]

These guys are professional footballers. So I understand that they need to put their careers before club loyalties. But I still don't like the way they walked out on us when we needed them the most. So I'm not going around slagging them but they don't deserve the red-carpet treatment either.

[simplythebest 0]

TUPE, put in a transfer request, simples.

 

All it would have taken.