LEE MCCULLOCH fears Rangers and their supporters will never get to the bottom of the circumstances surrounding their run to the UEFA Cup final.
Former Scottish FA President George Peat last night claimed he was asked by a ‘prominent chairman’ of a club ‘not to help Rangers in any way’ towards the end of the 2007/08 campaign and that the decision ‘really stuck in my throat’.
The Light Blues played five games in 11 days as they lost to Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester and were denied the SPL title by Celtic after being defeated by Aberdeen.
Rangers beat Queen of the South two days later as they lifted the Scottish Cup in their 68th fixture of a remarkable marathon campaign domestically and on the continent.
The Gers had asked for a longer extension to the Scottish season and more time to prepare for their historic European final against Dick Advocaat’s side.
And former Ibrox captain McCulloch knows Peat’s revelations about outside interference will leave a sour taste in the mouth of angry Rangers fans a decade on.
He told SportTimes: “I was really disappointed and quite sad to hear George Peat’s version of events and what he said about the build-up to the UEFA Cup final.
“That was an incredible season for me on a personal level and I know how much it meant to the manager, the staff and the players to get to Manchester. It was a huge event for the Rangers supporters and the fact that we couldn’t deliver the trophy will always be a regret from my career.
“The effort that we put into that campaign, playing as many games as we did whilst competing for four medals, was unreal and I would be upset if there were people or clubs plotting against Rangers in the background at that time.
“Whether it would have been any different or not had we had more help from the authorities at Hampden we will never know. Nobody can answer that.
“But it is a real shame that we didn’t get the best preparation possible and as much time possible to help us achieve what would have been something so special for the whole of Scottish football.
“It is quite sad in many ways if that was the case. I hope this chairman is named and we find out the truth.
“But I fear we will never get to the bottom of it and get the whole story of what happened and why we were forced into that situation.
“It just shows you what can go on behind the scenes in football. We can’t go back in time unfortunately but I can understand why the Rangers fans feel as strongly about what George Peat has said.”
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