OPINION
It seems as though there was plenty of controversy which surrounded Graeme Murty’s spell as Rangers manager during his short stint in the senior dugout – and the more people say about his time in charge, the more it seems he is a toxic presence.
There was of course the alleged infamous Hampden Park bust-up between Kenny Miller, Lee Wallace and Murty himself, with the controversy continuing to rumble on as the playing duo’s appeals were reported to be upheld by the SPFA.
He was sacked before the end of the season after a run of poor form in charge, but surprisingly allowed to return to Ibrox to take back his role with the youth sides – a decision questioned by many.
However, David Bates – the young talent who made a shock exit for Hamburg at the end of his contract with the Light Blues – might have given the straw that broke the camel’s back by launching a war of words with the former Norwich figure, insisting his manager had lied about claiming his departure being about the money, highlighting yet another example where his leadership has brought a toxicity into the dressing room.
He told the Scottish Sun: “In my opinion what was said was complete lies, to be honest. It was never about the money or stuff like that.
“It was all about feeling appreciation from a club. It was hard to leave Rangers. When I was there I’d asked for a contract for a long time but never got one. Eventually they got talking but I had options to go places by then.”
Murty was manager at the time Bates is talking about so has to take responsibility for Bates leaving the club, and the fact Bates has had to lash out in response to his former boss indicates he was not good for the club.
He might have been moved back to the youth team but the fact that there are ongoing controversies surrounding his time at the helm suggest he is toxic to the Gers – and deserves the sack as a result.