Sport : Football

Wallace pledges future to Rangers

26th June 2012, 07:20pm

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Lee Wallace: Pledges future to newco Rangers

Lee Wallace: Pledges future to newco Rangers

Lee Wallace has committed himself to newco Rangers amid reports that others are set to join the list of players refusing to transfer to the new company.

Jamie Ness is reportedly set to object to the transfer of his contract, along with Kyle Lafferty, whose Ibrox future has been the subject of speculation for a number of days.

Northern Ireland forward Lafferty now looks likely to bring down the curtain on a controversial four-year spell at Rangers, which ended with a two-week suspension at the end of the season for a breach of club discipline.

Midfielder Ness's own time with the Light Blues was blighted by injury problems.

Steven Whittaker and Steven Naismith announced on Sunday that they would exercise their right not to transfer to Charles Green's Sevco company, which bought the assets and business of Rangers for £5.5million after the club was consigned to liquidation following failure to secure a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) needed to exit administration.

Both players cited uncertainty over which division - if any - Rangers will play in next season, as well as a lack of contact by Green and information about the investors in his consortium.

Rhys McCabe and Sone Aluko have also indicated they will leave Ibrox, bringing to six the number of players so far who look set to seek moves elsewhere.

Green threatened legal action for breach of contract against exiting players at the weekend but he adopted a less aggressive stance on Monday as he argued they would not play for a bigger club than Rangers no matter what league they end up in.

Although employment regulations are clear that workers can refuse to transfer their contract to a newco, Green has claimed his company would be entitled to a transfer fee.

However, he is unable to stop players joining other clubs with FIFA likely to issue a temporary registration document backing the transfer if Green objects, before any potential arbitration hearing further down the line.

Green's case is further weakened by the fact that his club is not yet a member of the Scottish Football Association.

Better news for the new regime was the announcement by Scotland left-back Wallace that he sees his future at Ibrox, along with Lee McCulloch, the only other player to publicly state a desire to join the newco despite the near certainty that they will not play in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

Aberdeen, Inverness and St Johnstone announced on Monday that they would oppose Green's application to join the SPL, doubling the confirmed objectors to six.

An 8-4 majority is required when all 12 clubs - including oldco Rangers - meet on July 4 to formally vote on the issue.

Wallace told www.rangersfc.co.uk: "When I arrived at Ibrox the support from the club, players and fans was fantastic.

"The fans showed great faith in us all during tough times and I still feel I have more to show them during the remainder of my contract.

"My partner is expecting our first baby soon and my priority is to my family.

"This gives me the incentive to improve my performance and ultimately win trophies."

Wallace signed a five-year contract when he joined from Hearts in August last year in a deal worth £1.5million.

However, Rangers Football Club will go into liquidation with Hearts still to receive £800,000 of the fee and it is unclear whether Green's club will be forced to pay.

Wallace, who will report for the start of pre-season training on Thursday, added: "My personal decision in no way condemns or judges those made by my fellow professionals as I believe each person has different circumstances and reasons which will determine the road they choose to travel at this particular time.

"I respect the decision taken by each individual player."

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