WHITTAKER: NO FEARS OVER GERS BACKLASH
STEVEN WHITTAKER has told Rangers fans he won’t fear their jeers when he lines up against his old club for Hibs this season.
Whittaker, along with the likes of Steven Naismith and Kyle Lafferty, objected to moving from oldco to newco Rangers back in June 2012.
Their stance resulted in an angry backlash from some sections of the club’s support as they moved to new clubs while the Ibrox outfit started the following campaign in the bottom tier.
Five years on and the 33-year-old is back in Scotland with Hibs following a prolonged spell at Norwich City and is in line to come up against his old club at Ibrox on August 12.
However, Whittaker has brushed off any notion that he will be put out by the hostile atmosphere waiting for him in Govan.
He said: “I won’t let it bother me. I’m 33 now so I’ve experienced all the different ones, whether you’re cheered or booed.
“I’ve not given any thought to what kind of
welcome I’ll get there. I’ll just be trying my best to win for Hibs, like the rest of the other boys. I just don’t want to let anyone down.
“Everyone has a different opinion of what happened and who was to blame for what.”
Both Whittaker and Naismith delivered legal letters to former Rangers chief executive Charles Green five years ago which refused their contracts to be transferred to the Englishman’s Sevco 5088 company.
“As players we were paid to play football and that’s what we tried to concentrate on through the whole process,” added Whittaker.
“It was difficult at times but that’s all we knew. Steven and I wanted to play football.
“We took the wage cuts, for example, to try and help everything come back together.
“We did our bit but people have different perceptions of that. We can’t change that.”
An Old Firm mentality is something the former Rangers defender is hoping can bolster the Easter Road club’s chances of success as they tackle the Premiership again after a two-year absence.
Whittaker will team up with former Celtic boss Neil Lennon as his new gaffer, and said: “Obviously I was at Rangers when the manager was at Celtic and because we’ve both been involved with the Old Firm, we probably have that winning mentality.
“I played against him as a player and his determination sticks out.
“He’s a winner and you can see that from the chats I’ve had and from him being on the side of the pitch.
“We’re a big club in this league and we need to go there and show that.”