The Newcastle United midfielder Gaël Bigirimana, on loan at Rangers, has claimed that relegation might be a good thing for his parent club.
With Newcastle in turmoil, and the stand-in manager, John Carver, publicly criticising his players after a run of eight consecutive defeats and clinging on to his job, Bigirimana has admitted that his view may not be popular but believes relegation might force the club to look at its issues.
“This might put me in trouble but you look at what happened to Southampton five or six years ago,” he told Sky Sports News, referencing Southampton’s descent into administration and relegation into League One in 2009. “Sometimes as a club you need everything to be reviewed – its foundation and the structure.
“I don’t want them to go down and get relegated. Nobody wants that to happen but it’s all about the future.”
Bigirimana has not played for Rangers after his loan and says he is suffering from a mystery illness that will sideline him until after the end of the terms of his move. He was one of five Newcastle players, including Shane Ferguson, Kevin Mbabu, Remie Street and Haris Vuckic, to be lent to the Scottish club in a controversial move at the end of the transfer window at the start of the year. Bigirimana did not have a medical before his move to Rangers.
On Tuesday, the Newcastle captain, Fabricio Coloccini, wrote an open letter calling for support, while the owner of the club, Mike Ashley, saw the offices of his sportswear chain Sports Direct visited by the police as they investigate the past ownership of Rangers.
