Former Rangers full-back, Alan Hutton, has expressed his disappointment at seeing a fellow fan depart his old club as Steven Gerrard makes way in his squad for new signings.
Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton reflects on the news that Andy Halliday has been released from Rangers having been deemed surplus to requirements.
So what has Hutton said?
When asked to reflect on Halliday’s departure from Ibrox, he said:
“I was definitely gutted for him, we all know how much he loves the club and how much it means to him.
“The only thing I can see is maybe Gerrard trying to look and free up some space to get somebody else in. He was a great player in terms of he can play multiple positions.
“He can go in and do a job and more often than not do it well. I really believe you need characters like this in your squad – players who are willing to play all day, know what the club is about, it means a lot to them, they wear heart on their sleeve.
“To be honest I’m just gutted for him because I know how it feels, it’s a bit like myself when I left Villa, you’re absolutely devastated, you don’t want to see it come to an end.”
So is Hutton correct?
Halliday was never short of passion, desire or enthusiasm, however, when Borna Barisic was unavailable, there was a noticeable difference in quality both in attack and defence when he was asked to deputise.
One of the problems is that Halliday wasn’t good enough to play for Rangers in his preferred position of central midfield and he is a converted left-back, this isn’t his fault and he is very much a victim of circumstance.
Hutton is correct in that having a player of Halliday’s versatility is useful, but every player sitting on a Rangers bench should be able to start and not weaken the team, they should also have specialists for each position.
He played over 150 times for the club he loved and he should be thanked for his efforts, he afforded fans a player to identify with as they tried to close the gap on Celtic, he certainly never let the club down but Gerrard needs better if he is to finally deliver what is craved the most by Gers fans.