By support

18th Apr, 2018 | 9:57am

John Hartson: Rangers may have decided to rip up senior player contract

Celtic legend John Hartson believes Rangers could be taking the “easy way out” by launching formal disciplinary action against Lee Wallace and Kenny Miller following a reported row with manager Graeme Murty after Sunday’s 4-0 Old Firm thrashing.

The pair were summoned to Ibrox on Tuesday and were informed of their suspension by managing director Stewart Robertson and it now looks as though their Ibrox careers are over.

Neither player played in the Hampden humiliation but are believed to have over-stepped the line with their criticism of Murty in the dressing-room at full-time.

Hartson thinks the Gers may have just decide to “rip up” senior player Miller’s contract and “get him out.”

“Listen, it could be a case of Rangers taking the easy way out, they’ve got a bit of a history of sacking players. They sacked their legend Barry Ferguson,” Hartson said, as quoted by the Daily Record.

“It might be a case of it’s an easy way out for them with Kenny.

“If he’s coming to the end of his contract, a few months left and they’re probably paying him decent wages.

“Maybe they’ve just decided to rip his contract up and get him out.”

With Miller’s deal up at the end of the season it is almost certain he will leave in the summer although Wallace’s future looks a little more complicated with the defender having another year on his contract.

The Gers skipper has been out of action since September with a groin injury but is now expected to leave Ibrox in the summer.

Football Insider verdict

Launching a formal disciplinary process isn’t exactly the easy way out. Had the Gers wanted the path of least resistance they would have just let Miller train for the remaining weeks of his contract and let him quietly leave. Not to mention that “ripping up his contract” would see the Gers likely have to pay it up in full regardless. Suspending the pair and taking formal action is probably the furthest thing from the easy way out there is. Of course, Hartson thinks Rangers sacked Barry Ferguson – they sold him to Birmingham for seven figures – so it’s not a shock to see him so wildly wrong.

In other Rangers news, Graeme Souness has revealed how Light Blues completed £250,000 new signing on private jet in Paris in the middle of the night.

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