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In amongst the questions of safe standing and Celtic’s ticket allocation, Rangers AGM panel were confronted with a question on the Lee Wallace situation, just why hasn’t he played regularly.
The Rangers fan branded the treatment of Wallace as ‘disgusting’ and while it is difficult to argue against this, we will probably never know the full story as to why Wallace and Rangers fell out to such a large extent. But it would be extremely brash to harshly criticise a Rangers board, which has fought tooth and nail for the benefit of the cub and its support.
Rangers’ manager, Steven Gerrard handled the question expertly, stating that the current Rangers squad now have better options at left back. And with the acquisition of Borna Barisic and resurgence of Andy Halliday, it is easy to see why Wallace would have such a hard time getting into the Rangers starting 11.
The fall out between Rangers and Wallace stems back to April. Following a heavy defeat, at the hands of old firm rivals Celtic, it was reported that Wallace and fellow teammate Kenny Miller had a dressing room spat with then interim Rangers manager Graeme Murty.
The rumours circulating about what happened in the dressing room ranged from the completely bizarre, that Miller and Wallace had Murty in a headlock, to the more realistic in that both players had simply overstepped the mark with the things they said.
While Miller left the club following the end of his contract, Wallace stayed. But has only made one fleeting appearance since, in the final minutes of Rangers 3-3 draw with Motherwell in late August.
It looks to be an unfortunate end to Wallace’s Rangers career. A career that deserved so much more than it gained.
During the darkest hours of Rangers history, Lee Wallace decided to forgo the opportunity of playing top-flight football in favour of staying with Rangers as they were demoted to pit of Scottish football.
It cannot be stated enough just how important the loyalty of Wallace was for the Rangers support. At a time where all of Rangers enemies collectively stuck in the boot and attempted to diminish the great club forever, players such as Lee Wallace acted as a beacon of hope for the Rangers support. A constant reminder that Glasgow Rangers would eventually return to place in which they belong, competing in the top flight of Scottish football.
Wallace gained the Rangers captaincy in 2015, and under his leadership, Rangers won automatic promotion back into the Scottish Premier League. An astonishing achievement considering the troubles the club had faced.
It’s cruel that Wallace has never had the chance to raise a top domestic honour above his head for Rangers, especially after coming so close against Hibernian FC in the 2016 Scottish Cup.
If it is truly the end of Wallace’s Rangers career then it is almost certain that he will be looked back fondly by all of the Rangers support in years to come. Although he may not have entered the ranks of great Rangers captains such as Shearer, Greig and Gough, there is no doubt he will still be remembered as a Rangers legend and one of the most loyal servants ever to don the famous Light Blue jersey.
