Post by Natty on Apr 3, 2009 11:37:31 GMT -1
Rangers have stripped Barry Ferguson of the captaincy and dropped the midfielder and keeper Allan McGregor after breaching Scotland discipline.
The pair were sent home from training on Friday and will not face Falkirk.
Rangers manager Walter Smith said he decided to take action after V-signs made by the players while sitting on the bench against Iceland on Wednesday.
They had been dropped by Scotland boss George Burley after a drinking session after Saturday's defeat by Netherlands.
Now both men have been ordered by Smith to report to Rangers' training ground at Murray Park on Friday for talks with the club's chief executive, Martin Bain.
A further statement will then be issued by the club, but there are question marks over the longer-term future of the pair, who have been suspended by Smith for two weeks.
The day after Scotland's 2-1 win over Iceland, Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith and manager George Burley suggested that the matter was now closed.
Most people I have spoken to have backed the manager as they have let their club and their country down
Rangers Supporters' Trust spokesman David Edgar
However, SFA president George Peat has since indicated that he wants a further investigation of the events, with other players also being involved in the drinking incident.
He has demanded that Smith and Burley file a report on the incidents to the parent body's board meeting on Thursday.
And Rangers, managed by former Scotland boss Smith, have taken their own disciplinary action.
Smith addressed a lunchtime media conference ahead of Sunday's Scottish Premier League match and said that defender David Weir would captain the side for the rest of the season.
He said Ferguson and McGregor had embarrassed themselves with their gestures at Hampden.
Rangers Supporters' Trust spokesman David Edgar backed the club's action, while admitting that some fans had sympathy for the players.
"Most people I have spoken to have backed the manager as they have let their club and their country down," he said.
"The gestures were so childish and immature it beggars belief that the captain of Rangers and Scotland thought it was a good idea.
"We need to eradicate this culture of drinking among footballers."
oops naughty boys, looks like there future in doubt now,
The pair were sent home from training on Friday and will not face Falkirk.
Rangers manager Walter Smith said he decided to take action after V-signs made by the players while sitting on the bench against Iceland on Wednesday.
They had been dropped by Scotland boss George Burley after a drinking session after Saturday's defeat by Netherlands.
Now both men have been ordered by Smith to report to Rangers' training ground at Murray Park on Friday for talks with the club's chief executive, Martin Bain.
A further statement will then be issued by the club, but there are question marks over the longer-term future of the pair, who have been suspended by Smith for two weeks.
The day after Scotland's 2-1 win over Iceland, Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith and manager George Burley suggested that the matter was now closed.
Most people I have spoken to have backed the manager as they have let their club and their country down
Rangers Supporters' Trust spokesman David Edgar
However, SFA president George Peat has since indicated that he wants a further investigation of the events, with other players also being involved in the drinking incident.
He has demanded that Smith and Burley file a report on the incidents to the parent body's board meeting on Thursday.
And Rangers, managed by former Scotland boss Smith, have taken their own disciplinary action.
Smith addressed a lunchtime media conference ahead of Sunday's Scottish Premier League match and said that defender David Weir would captain the side for the rest of the season.
He said Ferguson and McGregor had embarrassed themselves with their gestures at Hampden.
Rangers Supporters' Trust spokesman David Edgar backed the club's action, while admitting that some fans had sympathy for the players.
"Most people I have spoken to have backed the manager as they have let their club and their country down," he said.
"The gestures were so childish and immature it beggars belief that the captain of Rangers and Scotland thought it was a good idea.
"We need to eradicate this culture of drinking among footballers."
oops naughty boys, looks like there future in doubt now,
