RAE EXPECTS BARTON EXIT

THERE is almost a sigh of relief as Alex rae surveys the possibility of an end in sight. As disappointed as he is that Joey Barton’s time at Ibrox has turned into such a sorry ‘saga’, the former rangers midfielder can at least see a way out for all. ‘The club have made a decision and gone through a process of bringing him back now,’ said rae. ‘I would expect something to be concluded in January in terms of Joey moving on. ‘I think that would suit most people. It has been a saga from the off and since it first came out. ‘As a manager, you try to put these kind of issues to bed sooner rather than later. This has dragged on and I think it probably affected the whole environment. ‘Now the process is done and Joey is training with the kids. Everybody has to settle down and rangers have to kick on and try to close the gap on Celtic.’ Still slightly shocked by Barton’s failure to produce on the park and self-destructive streak sabotaging his future in the dressing room, rae admitted: ‘I think everybody at the beginning going into this arrangement would hope he would be one of the marquee signings. ‘I thought he would do well. I saw him play in the English Championship. I knew him when he was a kid at 17 and he has had his ups and downs. He seems to have settled down and he was speaking about this being the right move at the right time. ‘He had other options that could have been more fruitful for him. He felt this was right, but it just hasn’t worked. ‘The manager has made his decision. The club have done it the way they think was necessary and now they need to buckle down and let the situation settle down. ‘People have to realise that there is a legal obligation, as well. I think it would probably be illegal to banish Joey, so they have brought him back. It has to be done right. ‘I was at the Sandy Jardine book launch on Thursday and people were talking about his humility and how he conducted himself. ‘That is one of the things I have always associated with rangers — and seeing Sandy when I was an apprentice here. ‘It would be easy to send him (Barton) packing, but it is changed days. Things have moved on from sending players into the wilderness.’