Ally McCoist has delivered an emotional salute to the Ibrox heroes that have taken wage deferrals in order to allow the club to pay 20% of the wages to kitchen staff and the laundry lady.
Typical of the former Ibrox boss he had to draw comparisons with the heroic sacrifices he took in 2012 while recalling only half of the story.
With Administrators Duff & Phelps running the show they were faced with the prospect of cutting the first team wage bill or making staff and players redundant.
Allan McGregor. Kyle Lafferty, Steven Naismith, Steve Davis and Steven Whittaker came up with an imaginative solution. They offered to take huge pay cuts for three months provided they were allowed to leave for bargain fees at the end of the season.
McCoist fronted up that plan but in the end, it wasn’t needed. Failure to secure a CVA led to liquidation with the five stars named above refusing to TUPE allowing them to leave as free agents.
Coisty stayed loyal to his salary, conditions and benefits; TUPE’d over to the new club on the deal originally agreed with Dave Murray allowing him to pick up bonuses for beating part-time teams made up of taxi-drivers, postmen, Tax Officers and debt collectors.
The Ibrox club romped through two divisions then finished third behind Hearts and Hibs in the 2014/15 Championship, shortly after being drawn against Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup McCoist decided to take gardening leave to put Kenny McDowall in charge for the Hampden clash.
Recalling the dark days of administration the TalkSPORT presenter told The Sun:
The players set a tremendous example in 2012, in very different circumstances, and once again they’re showing the way.
It’s brilliant that every single player and member of the coaching staff has agreed to a 50 per cent wage deferral. You can only applaud them for that.
Just as it was in my day, there are people working behind the scenes who really matter. They are the ones who keep the club moving, the ones who keep the place ticking over.
Without them and without their support you wouldn’t have a football club. That’s the same all across the country, not just at Rangers. It’s the case at every football club.
I heard Harry Redknapp on television the other night talking about it and I agreed with every word. From the girls up in the kitchen to those in the washroom and to every other member of staff, no club can function without them.
At every club there are people working behind the scenes who are more important than the players.
The girls in the kitchen and those in the washroom will get 80% of their wages paid by HM Government with the club making up the remaining 20%.
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CLICK HERE for the breakdown of the cut price deals the heroes of 2012 negotiated in order to take a three month pay cut.