Former Rangers midfielder, Gavin Rae, has revealed how Paul le Guen thrust him into the spotlight only to leave without saying a word during the saga that saw Barry Ferguson stripped of the captaincy in 2006/07.
Speaking on the BBC Sportsound (via The Scottish Sun), Rae explained his disappointment at how the Frenchman handled the situation and the predicament it put him in.
“It was such a strange time.
“I got on really well with Le Guen, I got on well with most of my coaches, as I am pretty professional and committed to training and stuff.
“But he had the fall out with Barry and it was so strange.
“A: you’ve got to look after the captaincy for Rangers and B: I was just trying to make sure I was playing well enough to stay in the team.
“It was such a stressful week between getting the captaincy and then him leaving. I was just a bit disappointed with how he left. I never even spoke to him.
“He basically put me right in the spotlight and then just left. Did I feel he put me under the bus a little bit? 100%.
“So I definitely felt like a bit of a scapegoat and I could have done without the pressure he put me under.”
What made the decision so controversial at the time was that Rae was barely a regular in the starting XI let alone captain material, Le Guen had previously dismissed the importance of the armband – much to the ire of Ferguson – and obviously saw it as an opportunity to rub salt in the wounds of the disposed skipper by passing it to someone with such limited credentials for the role.
Ferguson was given the backing of the squad – Kris Boyd’s infamous six finger celebration in defiance of Le Guen – and it was only a matter of time until the former Lyon manager was given his marching orders to be replaced by Walter Smith.
Rae even admits himself that his sole focus was on playing well so that he could keep his place in the team, the biggest indication that he wasn’t the right man for the job, despite Le Guen’s appointment.
In a reign that promised so much but ended so acrimoniously, the only good thing to come out of Le Guen’s tenure was that the mess he left behind needed the return of Smith to tidy up the pieces and restore the club to their former glory – which he did with some aplomb and with a respect that the position demands.