Ricksen checks into Sporting Chance

[Hurlock 0]

well there will be plenty of laughs with peter kay head of the counselling team

 

Just beat me to that one Mac............lol

 

Fernando can still work his way back into the Gers midfield but Gavin Rae has more than impressed on his comeback from injury so lets see.

[Gribz 850]

Ricksen must of been steaming when he got off the plane and spoke to reporters, when he said "I dont like being treated like this"

 

Glad he is sorting himself out though, but its time he moved on from Ibrox

[Frankie 8,562]

Seemingly he's been attending this place for quite a while.

 

Now, I have no problem wishing Ricksen all the best and I sincerely hope he gets well soon. However, his constant bad behaviour and average performances over the years means he's had as many chances as he'll get from this bear.

 

Hopefully he can get some counselling, get better, return to pre-season training quickly and be sold forthwith.

[Laudbertz 0]

Just beat me to that one Mac............lol

 

Fernando can still work his way back into the Gers midfield but Gavin Rae has more than impressed on his comeback from injury so lets see.

 

You think Ricksen will be back in the team?

 

Im not so sure PLG will be that forgiving.

 

Ricksen obviously knows he has a problem if he has been attending/talking to people from the Sporting Chance facility for at least the past 6 months.

 

So why he would choose to drink on the plane with his team mates and new manager is beyond me.

[stewarty 2,025]

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1873_1327943,00.html

 

Sporting Chance now say that Ricksen was put in touch with them several months ago and they also praised Rangers handling of the situation.

[juffery 0]

I don't think we'll be seeing Ricksen in a Gers jersey again. If it was a first then maybe but he's had chances ander wee Dick, McLeish and now messed up with PLG. Hope he gets his life sorted but I think a move to a smaller club would be the way to go for him.

[craig 5,199]

PLG says he will make his decision on Ricksen when they get back from SA.

 

From teamtalk

 

The midfielder was sent home from the club's pre-season training camp after an incident involving a flight attendant on board the plane to Johannesburg on Sunday.

 

The 29-year-old has subsequently checked himself into the Sporting Chance Clinic for treatment on anger management issues.

 

Ricksen has already admitted he fears his Ibrox career is over following the incident.

 

But the former Lyon boss will wait until his return to Glasgow on Monday before making any further decision on the Dutchman.

 

Le Guen said: "I took the decision and it was my responsibility to do so. It was not a whim on my part.

 

"It was a difficult decision to make, but we will see what happens when we get back to Glasgow."

 

However, Le Guen has warned that discipline at the club will be a major feature of his tenure after succeeding Alex McLeish.

 

He added: "It is a normal way for the coach to go. I just want to establish my rules.

 

"The players must understand they must do as I want them to do while I am at the club.

 

"But it is very simple and there is nothing extraordinary about what I have asked of the team. There is nothing special.

 

"They simply have to apply the rules that are laid down and there will be no problems."

 

Meanwhile, the Rangers boss is turning his attentions towards the rest of the South Africa tour.

 

The Light Blues comfortably defeated a Jomo Select team on Tuesday with a 4-0 win courtesy of a Charlie Adam hat-trick and a Kris Boyd strike.

 

Rangers will now face Jomo Cosmos on Friday evening in Bloemfontein in the second match of the trip.

 

But, while the Ibrox boss is still learning about his new players, he is also enjoying the experience of South African football.

 

Le Guen added: "I don't know much about South African football here, but I know there are some great players and I remember watching the national team play France at the World Cup in 1998.

 

"I am looking forward to learning about their football in our two matches."

 

Le Guen's assistant Yves Colleu believes the wins over Linfield and Jomo Select have already provided enough information to hint at a possible starting line-up for the SPL opener at Motherwell on July 30.

 

But he maintains there is still plenty of scope for any player to push for a place in the tour games before returning for matches against Middlesbrough and Bolton.

 

Colleu told the club's official website: "These games will be important for us.

 

"I think we will see the best team spending more time together and it will be interesting to see how these two matches develop.

 

"We have a good idea now of our team for the new season. But it is always interesting to see the improvement day after day, so we will see what happens."

[pete 2,499]

FERNANDO THICKSEN

Guys like Mo and Macca knew when and where to go over the top - and a plane with your gaffer on board ain't one of 'em

Ally Mccoist

 

THE only person who can salvage Fernando Ricksen's career at Rangers is the Dutchman himself.

 

It's not too late but there are more than a few harsh realities to be faced before he can even think about anything else.

 

He has been slaughtered by the media and fans alike for his drunken antics on board the flight to South Africa and he'll need to accept that this is his rock bottom.

 

I often hear managers telling people that no player is given special treatment at a club but take it from me, that is not true.

 

When you have a talent such as Paul Gascoigne involved then sometimes it's a case of turning a blind eye to certain aspects of their personality.

 

With exceptional players such as him there is always a certain amount of leeway that is given and it will always b e that way.

 

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Unfortunately for Fernando he doesn't even come close to being near the characters I'm about to mention who have that extra licence to get away with murder.

 

With the likes of Maurice Johnstone, Charlie Nicholas, Frank McAvennie there were always times when they attracted the wrong headlines but each had something in common which Fernando seems to lack.

 

They were clever enough to know when and where they could get away with going over the top. I'd suggest that on a plane with your manager on board isn't one of them.

 

When I first heard Fernando had been sent home from South Africa, the first thought which crossed my mind was Paul Le Guen using the situation to make his mark.

 

Maybe the new Rangers boss felt it was the ideal opportunity to make an example of one of his high-profile players to really stamp his authority on things.

 

I could be wrong as I don't really know enough about what actually happened on the flight so it would be wrong of me to speculate. One thing is clear - Fernando has problems that need to addressed.

 

I have met him hundreds of times and I have to confess I have always found him funny, friendly and a great guy to be around.

 

Let's be honest for a minute, though, we are talking about someone who has had a history of problems ever since he arrived in Glasgow.

 

There is only so much a football club can be prepared to accept and if they consider him to be a disruptive element then there is only going to b e one winner. It appears Fernando has a strange idea of acceptable discipline and only Le Guen is going to emerge from this the stronger party.

 

If there's to be a way back for the player then he better be prepared to eat one heck of an amount of humble pie.

 

If he's serious about pulling on a Rangers jersey again he should make contact with his manager and make an unreserved apology over his conduct, as well as giving assurances about his future behaviour.

 

Although it may be hard to believe, I've been guilty of making the odd error of judgment that has landed me in a couple of predicaments.

 

But I always knew where the line was and that's the biggest problem with Fernando.

 

That line has all too often been blurred for him and he's not helped himself by crossing it in sometimes spectacular fashion. But he should be learning his lesson. He's no longer a youngster who could be accused of being naive. He's at an age where he has to take the responsibility for his actions.

 

If he's accepted that he now needs to seek professional help to deal with whatever problems he may have then he should be given credit for that. I genuinely wish him well.

 

But resolving these issues won't just help his career -more importantly it will help him make a success of his life.

 

He owes it to himself to get to the root of why he's continually being at the centre of controversy and he will need to get to it fast. This was always going to be a huge season for him under a new manager and especially after the last campaign which was a virtual non-event for him.

 

But a ball has yet to be kicked in anger and already it's been a disaster for him.

 

More worryingly still is the fact it appears the majority of the Rangers fans have now turned against him over the latest incident.

 

He can return from his time in Tony Adams' Sporting Chance clinic a better person and a better player. I wouldn't say his time at Rangers is over as there is always a way back but maybe moving on would be a better thing for him.

 

Achange of scene may offer him a better chance to escape his demons and whatever it's going to be, I hope it's the right choice.

 

Fernando gets my sympathy as he's clearly a troubled person right now and he's someone I like immensely.

 

But it's his and his club's responsibility to get his mind sorted out so he can get things back on track.

 

Difficult decision. We will not get much for him if we sell him. He has shown over one season he can be a great asset. Can he return to that? Whatever happens he must be the biggest asshole to captain our great club. Time to ship him for me.

[ian1964 10,724]

He needs support not just as a Rangers player but as a human being. He is a very talented player. I hope he looks after his problem. It seems he has been in therapy for awhile. It at least shows he is trying. It seems the flight was a major setback, hopefully he gets the help he needs.I hope PLG gives him another chance.

 

Agreed, although his performances have been poor and a lot of Bears seem to have had enough of him but lets not forget that this is an illness and i for one would like to think he gets the full support,backing and all the help he needs from Rangers wether he plays for us again or not.To just kick him out now could destroy him as a man,Rangers should do everything they can to help him sort himself out, not as a player but as a human being.

[Danny 0]

Let's not forget he's not in counselling for drug or alcohol addiction, it's for anger management.

 

So yes, it's a mental disorder as such, but it's not an 'illness' so to speak. Not in the same way that alcoholism is, for example.