A Massive Red Herring
DECEMBER 19, 2014 / BILLMCMURDO
I know this will be controversial but I have to say it: The big brouhaha over Ally McCoist and his playersâ wages is a massive red herring.
Itâs easy to say that the coaching and playing personnel should get lower wages in the lower leagues but it just doesnât work that way. Players like Lee Wallace and David Templeton could easily get big money elsewhere but chose to be part of the Rangers journey. They should be recompensed for that.
I am happy to accept some players are overpaid but that is about the player, not the jersey. Quite frankly, if you play for Glasgow Rangers you should be paid handsomely.
In the lower divisions? Absolutely. Being there is no fault of the players.
The problem is that people are mixing up performance levels with the club wage structure. This is a very dangerous path to go down. If players are not performing to their pay grade, you replace them as soon as you can, just like any other job. Football is not like most industries and that has to be taken into account. Consistent under-performers need to be moved on and that isnât always easy. But if you are a big club, you should be paying big money. This is why selecting players is such a vital part of it all. Rangers must sign players with a strong work ethic and a sense of responsibility. Lazy mercenaries should be spotted and avoided.
Letâs be honest â if Rangers were skelping every opponent whilst playing some breath-taking football, the wage issue would not be an issue. And it shouldnât be.
This new culture we have as fans of micro-managing the club and perusing every detail of its fiscals is not healthy and leads to paranoia and suspicion. It takes us away from being supporters to wannabe administrators and directors. A Walter Miity world of fantasy boardroom.
Same with Ally McCoist and his salary. He is the manager of Rangers, not some pub team. You might argue about his performance in terms of the quality of football on the park but you cannot say that his salary structure is too high, even for the lower divisions. Again, he is not responsible for that. And asking him to forego his contracted rights is not really on.
Itâs all about differentiating between the man and the position. Rangers manager and players should be paid much higher than other teams. Their performance should be subject to review but you cannot alter the wage structure just because some are not earning their pay.
You pay peanuts, you get monkeys goes the saying. Whilst it may not necessarily be an adequate fit to the Rangers situation, it has to be borne in mind. If you want to be the best, youâve got to beat the rest. And you have to pay the best. The nonsense over Ally and his wages must be put in proper context. If the man does not perform, get rid of the man.
Then get someone who will earn every penny of what should be reasonable recompense for the biggest job in football.
With no disrespect to lesser teams, if we start paying what lesser teams pay we will become one of them.
Rangers men get Rangers pay. Thus shall and should it ever be.
