Steven Gerrard has made a huge statement – and Rangers fans won’t like it

When Ibrox Noise ran a poll recently over the left back slot, one of the entries was less tongue in cheek than a lot of respondents realised.

The question was who would Steven Gerrard start at LB – the options were Jon Flanagan, Lee Wallace, Anyone But Lee Wallace, or Other.

We already knew, 100%, Jon Flanagan was starting – we expressed this in the piece and described how there was no chance Wallace would feature, and were quite surprised at the naïve responses (no offence) which had Wallace starting by a landslide.

And confirming our suspicions correct last night, Lee Wallace remained axed from the match day squad when the only available FB otherwise to replace Barisic and Halliday was Flanagan. This was the final nail in the coffin of Lee Wallace’s Rangers career.

Just like Kenny Miller, Wallace is not going to get to say goodbye, he’s not going to be given a little send off – the way the former captain has been treated first by the board and now by Gerrard is nothing short of abhorrent, and sends a message that loyalty at Ibrox means f*ck all if Graeme Murty takes a disliking to you.

Whatever happened in that dressing room at Hampden doesn’t matter – Wallace has been treated like complete scum since, regardless of what he gave up to remain at Ibrox. Sure, he had a young family, and he was being handsomely paid, but a Scotland international could have got more in the Championship, or the EPL, and even though moving would be a hassle, many other footballers have done it at even more tender stages of their lives and careers.

And he’s been rewarded with a banning, and now complete exile. It’s an extraordinary insult, and very few Rangers fans, even those with the most faith and trust in Steven Gerrard, have backed the manager’s handling of Wallace.

Even last night when RTV’s Tom Miller mentioned the ‘three’ left backs vying for the slot, it took Andy Little to remind him of the former club captain. As if ‘Wallace’ is a toxic and taboo word around Ibrox these days.

Wallace has somehow turned into a complete pariah, and the best he will get is a wasted year of his career and a kick out the back door.

At least the fans recognise what you gave Lee, even if the club couldn’t care less.