Season › 2012-13 › News

Fee fight for Naismith goes to arbitration

Charles Green, the businessman who bought Glasgow Rangers, insists the newco is entitled to transfer fees for Steven Naismith and other players who walked out. Green's case will go before a Glasgow arbitration tribunal in January, with initial legal discussions expected to begin early in the month.

Scottish legal experts are sceptical over the chances of Green's bid being successful, and even if it is, there is doubt over whether Everton would have to pay a fee in the £1.5M region as has been mooted.

Green paid £5.5M for Rangers when he took the club over, with an estimated £3.5M of that based on the value of the entire former playing squad — casting doubt on how one player such as Naismith, could represent such a huge slice of that figure.

Talking about Green in Glasgow, Steven Naismith said, "He's going to say everything he can that he thinks is right, that he needs to say in the position he's in.

"I've never met him or had a conversation with him. Part of what he is doing is because he's now the head of Rangers.

"There are things he needs to do or the fans wouldn't be happy with him doing his job so that's fair enough.

"I'm not going to slag the guy because I've never met him.''

Naismith, who insisted he had always been a Rangers fan, did admit he would not be back at Ibrox in the near future.

"To be honest at this moment I wouldn't go back for a game,'' he said. "A lot of fans aren't happy with what's happened and what went on but you never know in the future.''

The player, who was in Glasgow to attend the charity lunch for the homeless which he funds, added: "The situation is probably still raw. I'm proud of the fact I played for Rangers for five years, I won trophies and won leagues with them, I was involved in Europe.

"It was probably the proudest I've been in my career. I'm a Rangers fan, I grew up a Rangers fan and it was the hardest decision of my career, not just to leave, but everything we went through, it was more than what was in the job title.''

He said the public did not appreciate the issues, adding: "Ninety per cent of people that talk about it don't know half of what happened.

"If you'd asked me just before we went into administration if I'd like to stay at Rangers for the rest of my career, I'd have probably said yes.

"But circumstances change and you need to make decisions you probably don't want to make."

Quotes or other material sourced from Liverpool Echo & Evening Times

• Naismith misses intensity of Old Firm life

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