Former Rangers defender Steven Whittaker has been viewed as something of a pariah by Gers fans ever since his controversial exit from the club in 2012 – but the recently-retired ex-Ger admits that he “deeply regrets how it all ended” for him at Ibrox.
Whittaker was one of a number of players to quit when the Light Blues were engulfed in financial turmoil and had to climb back up from the Third Division, with his infamous press conference alongside Steven Naismith destroying his reputation with the support.
Nine years on, Whittaker insists it was soley about football despite some supporters feeling it was financially motivated.
He concedes there were parts that could have been “handled better” and admits he was loving playing for the Gers but the prospect of his Scotland career ending at 28 was a big factor.
“It was purely a football decision,” he told The Scotsman.
“Steven [Naismith] and I were 28 and playing for Scotland. I would have been putting that at risk if I’d stayed [and dropped down the divisions]. Coming up against part-time players, no disrespect to them, was not going to test me.
“We were told to say certain things which didn’t come across the way we hoped. It could have been handled better. I was loving playing for the club and still had four years on my contract but I deeply regret how it all ended.”
Rangers fans have every right to be upset
When Whittaker and Naismith left in 2012, their press conference was the thing that really upset supporters and it isn’t hard to see why.
While Whittaker regrets it, it’ll be a long time before some fans forgive the way he went about leaving the Light Blues.
All Whittaker has to do is look at how others who left at the same time are received by the Rangers fans to see how badly wrong he got it.
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