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Is this Hearts hero a genuine transfer target for Rangers?

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Just about the only thing Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian had in common last Saturday was the prospect of the departure of many of the players who performed so very differently in the Scottish cup final. It is seems unlikely Hibs fans will lament the exit of the players who performed with such bewildering ineptitude.

Hearts fans, however, will be more disappointed, even if expectancy has led to resignation. Ian Black, for whom the tag ‘combative midfielder’ is diplomatic, will be much missed now that his three-year contract has expired and he has become a free agent.

Black has a reputation for poor discipline. In the Scottish Premier League this season he received 10 yellow cards and 2 red cards in 28 starts and one appearance as a substitute. He received the same number of red cards as he scored goals. His liaisons with Scotland’s refereeing fraternity were the result of a robust and occasionally reckless style of play. Indeed, he was lucky to be allowed to exert such an influence on the Scottish cup final because he could have been sent off early in the game for catching Lee Griffiths with an elbow to the face as they jumped for the ball. His is the kind of reputation that can be difficult to discard but there has been little evidence that he is trying very hard either.

Despite this, it is recognised that Black is a more than useful player. He can take control of games, as he did against Hibernian, and he scored a superb goal against Rangers this season. He will surely have suitors and the speculation has already started. The Daily Record reported that Rangers were keen on signing him and had already been in touch with his representatives. The same article also reported that newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday were rumoured to be interested in signing Black.

A move to Rangers would be contingent on the Ibrox club overturning a one-year transfer embargo imposed by the Scottish Football Association. How this will be achieved remains obscure-an appeal to the SFA has already upheld the original decision. The most widely touted strategy has been to go through the Court of Arbitration for Sport but there has to be a concern that this could involve a protracted legal wrangle. At the moment it has to be considered highly unlikely that Black will sign for Rangers in the imminent future.

This verdict will not displease the majority of Rangers fans, although Ally McCoist will be disappointed if it is true that he is an admirer.  Black is widely despised among the Rangers support after a poor tackle on Nikica Jelavic resulted in the Croatian striker missing several months of the 2010/11 season. At subsequent Hearts-Rangers matches, he had become a magnet for derision.  This incident became a specific example of a style of play that was never likely to endear Black to many outside the ranks of his club’s supporters.

A number of fans took to social networking sites to bemoan the prospect of Black signing for Rangers, although some were willing to concede that he was a gifted and potentially beneficial player. It might also be pointed out that Rangers are relatively strong in midfield at the moment but this could change substantially depending on the resolution to the club’s current financial predicament. At the very least it is likely to change to some extent but the kind of resolution that would see an exodus of players would also render it unlikely that Black would be brought in.

Again, this is all dependent on the club finding a way to overturn the current transfer embargo. At the moment, the prospect is merely an intriguing diversion based on the slim hope that circumstances might conspire to facilitate an unlikely piece of football business.

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13 comments

  • Art Mul says:

    RANKERS will be gone soon! HH

    • ag says:

      dream on pal we are going nowhere. We will still be here. Your jelly and ice cream will stick in your throat

      • Shooglenifty says:

        Wishful thinking. Even your one time comrade in vrime, the BBC has jumped from the rat infested sinking ship. All the best with you sectarian bigotry in the Highland League. If i had the choice, i would bulldoze you club from the history of Scotland as youo have brought nothing to the table but SHAME. YOUR CLUB IS SCOTLANDS SHAME. PLEASE DIE.

  • mick says:

    He’d fit in well at Ibrokes, alongside players like McCulloch (ie players that like to stick the boot in) that’s the only way Rangers will be able to compete in SPL ‘mickey mouse’ league. I’m of course talking about trying to finish second the trophy will not be going anywhere else soon. He wont be going anyway Gattuso is already to jump in to the rescue PMSL.

  • HUGH PURCELL says:

    Eh, there is a tranfer embargo on Rangers for, at the moment, one year. Never mind the SFA embargo, UEFA have very specific rules about Clubs resorting to civil courts. Basically, it is an offence under UEFA rules to do so, so Rangers may well suffer further sanctions, as have 4 Swiss have recently, and Sion at the start of last season.It amazes me that -;
    1 – Rangers have not apologised for their cheating i.e. breaking the SFA/SPL rules over probably 20 years. and
    2 – The arrogance shown in thinking that both the SFA and UEFA should change their rules to suit them.

    See you in Europe in 5 years!

    • trueblue says:

      did celtic say sry for the kids abuse ????? which is worse than any so called tax dodge which by the way hasnt been proved yet so id watch how you on that one but once again the timmies and their we dont do anything attitude THE REAL SCOTLANDS SHAME CHILD ABUSING SCUM

  • Art Mul says:

    Only place they are going is into liquidation ! more scandal to come soon! KTF

  • Shooglenifty says:

    Are they gone yet?

  • red and black says:

    short memories celtic supporters. Think back to how your board treated your greatest ever manager Jock Stein, Not a seat on the board for this great man but shoved away to the celtic view.
    I wonder why?

  • billyb says:

    If there no rangers wot will yous do the manky mob best highlight of the season celtic vs dundee where r the people up yeh up yeh up yeh!!!!!!

  • michael hughes says:

    we keep hearing what will scotland do without rangers in the SPL but it was not that long ago that celtic and rangers where telling the other teams that they where going to leave us and would be going to play in the EPL, now it seems rangers are that desperate not to be kicked out of the SPL.

  • MaxX says:

    Still obsessed with kiddyporn I see.

  • MaxX says:

    @ the guy living in a very very dark place @4;53 of course.

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