Rangers director of football Gordon Smith blasts money-grabbing players after Neil Danns chooses Leicester City over SPL champions

Neil Danns of Crystal Palace during the Pre Season Friendly (Getty Images)

Related Links

Teams

Players

Rangers director of football Gordon Smith has criticised players for choosing money over football after Crystal Palace’s Neil Danns turned down a move to the SPL for Championship side Leicester City.

Gers targets Danns turned down a move to the SPL champions and with it Champions League football, opting for a switch to the big-spending Foxes instead.

After missing out on Danns and Dundee United’s Craig Conway – with the winger opting for Cardiff City over Rangers – Smith admitted his frustration at his club’s lack of pulling power.

“I believe it shouldn’t always be about money. My own opinion is that players should be making decisions which are football decisions, rather than financial,” he told reporters.

“It’s a shame because you lose players who don’t quite see it that way. But we move on.

“If a player decides not to come to us, we have to take the attitude that maybe it’s not such a bad thing.

“He’s maybe not got the right attitude that we want because what we really want is people who see us as the place to come to.”

Former football agent Smith also admitted he was worried at the amount of money being banded about in the Premier League and Championship.

“I’m very aware of salary levels at Premiership level, but the Championship level salaries have also rocketed,” he added.

“There are clubs coming down from the Premiership into the Championship and they are keeping the wage scales going.

“Clubs are getting new owners and deciding to compete to try to get into the Premiership because they know there is big money.”