The WALLACE DILEMMA
Former skipper could yet have a future at Rangers under Gerrard
HAVING sacrificed his Scotland career for trips to Elgin alongside the likes of Anestis Argyriou and Emilson Cribari, Lee Wallace might well feel entitled to stick around for a long-awaited shot at glory under new manager Steven Gerrard.
The defender remains in dispute with the Rangers hierarchy but the sight of the full-back taking his place on the substitutes’ bench on Thursday night signalled that he may yet have a future at Ibrox.
And the defender’s surprise re-emergence may also have been a signal that Gerrard is determined to run Rangers his way, without interference from above.
Wallace’s situation is complicated by two distinct issues — his fitness and the disciplinary issue that hangs over his head after both he and Kenny Miller were suspended and fined by the club in the wake of last season’s 4-0 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Celtic.
Neither played in that match yet were held to account for their part in a post-match showdown involving caretaker manager Graeme Murty.
After calling in players’ union PFA Scotland, the pair took their cases to the SPFL and their appeal was heard earlier this month.
An adjudication is expected soon and Gerrard has stated that he will ‘roll with’ the decision regardless of whether it falls in favour of player or club.
Miller — who left the club at the end of last season — has spoken out against what he regards as the damage done to his reputation but, despite being stripped of the club captaincy, Wallace has remained silent and worked on his rehabilitation from a groin injury that has kept him out of first-team action for almost a year.
With James Tavernier named as the club’s new captain and the left-back options augmented by new signing Borna Barisic from Osijek, it is clear Rangers are preparing for the future.
Yet by naming a barely-fit Wallace among the subs for the first leg of the Europa League qualifier against Ufa, Gerrard performed a gesture of inclusion to the 31-year-old.
There are some at Ibrox who would have preferred a clean break.
Wallace was linked with a return to Hearts as part of the deal to bring Kyle Lafferty back to Glasgow but a straight cash deal for the Northern Irishman put to bed any prospect of an imminent switch to Tynecastle.
Clubs on either side of the border continue to monitor his situation but he shows no appetite to work his ticket ahead of Friday’s transfer deadline.
Were Rangers to offer to pay off the final year of his contract, that situation might change. But, when asked specifically about Wallace, Gerrard displayed no inclination to chase him out the door.
‘Whenever there is interest, I speak to the player and let him know,’ said Gerrard. ‘If the number isn’t big enough, I tell him that. If the board are happy I then say to the player: “What do you want to do?” I then get a feeling about how much he wants to play for Rangers.’
The landscape of Wallace’s six years at Ibrox suggests Gerrard can be in no doubt of the player’s commitment to the club.
Just 24 when Rangers were placed into administration, he was one of the few players who did not exercise his right to move under freedom of contract, instead transferring his terms to Charles Green’s Newco and accepting the challenge of helping the club restart in the old SFL Third Division.
Others, including Lafferty and Allan McGregor, moved on and have been afforded warm welcomes by the club’s support on their returns this summer.
Neil Alexander was another who decided to stick around at Ibrox and play for then manager Ally McCoist in Scottish football’s bottom tier. And the goalkeeper believes Wallace has earned his chance to be a part of the push for trophies under Gerrard.
‘Lee had a decision to make when the club went into administration,’ says Alexander. ‘He could quite easily have moved on. He was at an age where he could have got himself a club down south and moved on with his career.
‘But, like me, I think he wanted to go down in history as one of the players who stood by the club.
‘For that reason I think he will always be fondly remembered by the Rangers supporters.
‘I would imagine the new manager has given everyone a clean slate. Lee will be desperate to prove he should be involved and finish with a flourish as it might well be that his time at Rangers comes to an end next summer.
‘But maybe he feels he can do enough to earn a new deal. He is good enough to do that and I would imagine he will be fit enough.’
Wallace has not played since being forced out of a league fixture against Partick Thistle last September.
‘Lee is not ready for big minutes but you will see him introduced in the coming weeks,’ explained Gerrard. ‘There is a big week of games and then the break, so the plan is to push him as hard as we can and get him match fit.
‘We might get him some reserve games and the idea is to get him up to speed so we have another body and a good player who can contribute between now and the end of the season.’
With Barisic ineligible, Rangers deployed Jon Flanagan at left-back against Ufa. Naturally right-sided, the former Liverpool man is a steady defender but does not offer the same thrust provided by Wallace on the left touchline.
The former Hearts full-back had his off-field issues during his formative years at Tynecastle, including a brush with the law in which he was caught carrying a loaded airgun in an Edinburgh housing estate.
Over time, and particularly in the wake of his £1.5million move to Rangers, he matured into a quietly impressive man capable of leading by example.
By dropping down the divisions with Rangers, Wallace forsook his claim to the Scotland left-back role but did well on his last competitive international appearance when he earned his ninth cap in a World Cup qualifier against England at Wembley. He currently coaches Kelty Hearts’ Under-20s and has designs on a future in management.
Alexander suspects his quiet and
I would imagine the new manager has given everyone a clean slate. Lee will be keen to prove he should be involved and maybe he feels that he can do enough to earn himself a new deal ‑ NEIL ALEXANDER
steely determination will appeal to Gerrard.
‘Lee always had high standards, trained well every day and was never any bother,’ recalls Alexander, now a goalkeeper coach at Dundee United. ‘He was always consistent and never let anyone down.
‘He set the standard in training and on a match day you’d see him up and down that left flank non-stop.
‘These qualities all led to him being named club captain. He was a very quiet lad but he was someone who led by example, even when Lee McCulloch was captain. He was a fit boy, he trained hard and was always asking questions.
‘He was inquisitive, he wanted to learn both in terms of how he could improve and about the game in general. You could tell from an early stage that he wanted to go and be a manager.
‘Unfortunately, he has struggled with injuries over the last 12 months but hopefully there is still a chance for him to enjoy some success at Rangers.’