FORMER Rangers skipper Lee McCulloch claims Graeme Murty is being “hung out to dry” by the board after the impasse over the club’s managerial vacancy went into a second month.
After winning the first two matches since Pedro Caixinha was sacked, caretaker boss Murty has presided over Ladbrokes Premiership defeats against Hamilton and Dundee.
Before the defeat at Dens Park, Murty conceded it would be better for everyone if there was an appointment made. But the club’s development coach again looks set to be in charge for a double- header against second-placed Aberdeen, whose boss Derek McInnes last week insisted he saw his future at Pittodrie following weeks of speculation linking him with a return to Ibrox.
Speaking at a Tesco Bank Football Challenge event at Calderwood Lodge Primary School in Glasgow, McCulloch said: “There’s two sides of it and I don’t think it’s very fair on Graeme Murty. All I can say is Graeme Murty is in a high-pressure situation just now, he’s a fantastic coach and he’s someone who has done well before.
“Yes, the fans are shouting for a manager to come in and I think there should be one in, but I also see it from the other side where Graeme Murty is sitting in that high-pressure seat and being hung out to dry a bit.
“Graeme is in an awkward situation, but I think the fans just want some clarity on who the targets are, if they have got any targets, and who they are ruling out. It would be nice if they would come out and say we are down to six candidates or four candidates, but it seems to be all quiet.
“Rangers need to finish the season well and try to secure second place, so the quicker they can get a manager in to give the fans something to look forward to, I think that is the most important thing.”
The club’s annual general meeting is on Thursday and the board will have to answer questions about why it is taking so long for Rangers to make any move for a manager. Club 1872, the official Rangers supporters’ group which is also the club’s second highest shareholder behind chairman Dave King, expressed its concerns over the situation at the weekend.
McCulloch said: “Fans are obviously going to be frustrated, especially when you look how far Celtic are ahead, a fourth major trophy in a row looking like a runaway train for the league. It’s the board’s responsibility to sort the club out.”
There briefly appeared to be a development earlier yesterday when Ladbrokes suspended its Rangers manager market after taking some bets on Alex McLeish, but the former Ibrox boss quickly declared that he’d had no contact from the club.
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