Dorrans excited to join boyhood club Rangers
Graham Dorrans insisted there was no such thing as a bad time to join Rangers after completing the move to his boyhood heroes at the end of a difficult week at Ibrox.
Graham Dorrans insisted there was no such thing as a bad time to join Rangers after completing the move to his boyhood heroes at the end of a difficult week at Ibrox.
The capture of the Scotland midfielder in a deal understood to be worth up to £1.5million came days after Rangers supporters were battered by a new low on the park and bruised by continuing controversy off it.
Dorrans' transfer from Norwich was at an advanced stage before Rangers suffered a shock 2-0 reverse to Progres Niederkorn in Luxembourg to go out of the Europa League at the first hurdle, a blow quickly followed by defeat in the Supreme Court over the big tax case''.
But Dorrans has provided a ray of light to Rangers fans, who also saw popular winger Barrie McKay move on to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday after he fell out of favour with Pedro Caixinha.
The 30-year-old told RangersTV: "I don't think there is ever a wrong time to come to a football club like this.
"The size of this football club is incredible. I've obviously had great times down in England, especially at West Brom, but growing up I knew I always wanted to come to this football club and when the chance came around I jumped at it.
"It's no secret I grew up a Rangers fan. I always wanted to come here, so when the chance came around, I was straight on the phone to my agent to try and get things sorted. Thankfully we are there and we can move forward now.
"It has been a long couple of weeks but to finally get it over the line is an incredible feeling and I just can't wait to get the boots on and get started.''
Caixinha has come under fierce criticism following the European exit but Dorrans spoke highly of the Portuguese coach and feels they can put things right ahead of their Ladbrokes Premiership opener at Motherwell on August 6.
"I am confident we have a good enough squad to compete,'' the former Livingston player said. "Hopefully I can come in and help the team, help the young boys develop and help the club get back to where it belongs.
"The manager has been great too. I have been chatting to him for the last week or so, and he has been the driving force behind the move. I am looking forward to coming in and working with him.
"There are some big names coming in and we'll get four weeks behind us now training, hopefully we'll gel quickly and be ready for the first game.''
Off the park, pressure mounts on the Scottish Professional Football League to reopen the case into disclosure breaches at Ibrox in the first decade of the century, which helped oldco Rangers avoid paying tax it should have paid.
In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, Celtic made it clear they expect the SPFL to review a 2013 decision that Rangers gained no competitive advantage.
And the Aberdeen supporters' trust has added its voice to calls to strip Rangers of titles.
A statement from Dons Supporters Together read: "We all appreciate that the Scottish Football League has its faults and its critics. But, we fully expect, and it is our absolute right, that the sport we love and invest in is fair and honest.
"The Supreme Court backed HM Revenue and Customs in its fight with Rangers FC over their use of Employee Benefit Trusts between 2001 and 2010. This allowed Rangers FC to recruit members of staff of a certain quality that they could not ordinarily afford. Rangers FC undisputedly cheated the taxman to win 14 trophies.
"Dons Supporters Together share the view with supporters who have invested in the Scottish game, that Rangers FC should be stripped of the 14 trophies won during these EBT years.
"We now appeal to the Scottish football authorities, media, supporters and clubs in Scotland to review this matter and re-instate our trust in those running the game.'