Despite being disappointed that the annual Christmas party has been cancelled, Rangers manager Ally McCoist accepts there is little appetite for festivities at the club. Last month Rangers made another 10 members of staff redundant from their administrative department as part of their ongoing drive to cut costs. The cancellation of the party is a bid to further reduce outgoings at the financially-strapped club and non-executive director Derek Llambias contacted all non-football employees to notify them the annual get-together has been shelved. Llambias took the decision to further reduce outgoings just days after Rangers attracted their lowest home attendance for a league game in almost 30 years when under 20,000 turned up for the Championship meeting with Cowdenbeath.
Speaking ahead of Friday's trip to Queen of the South, McCoist said: "I'm disappointed but you have to be honest and look at it and say that with the redundancies that have been made recently at the football club I'm not sure a lot of the staff would be really in the mood for partying. I think it is a very sad time at the football club when people are losing their jobs and I'm not sure having a party would be the right thing."
Conscious that the cuts have been made on the non-playing side of Ibrox staff, McCoist, who has come in for a great deal of criticism recently after his side slipped nine points behind Hearts in the title race and crashed out of the Petrofac Training Cup at the hands of Alloa, was not about to encourage a lavish party for the players and coaching staff. He said: "It would be hypocritical of me to be 'bah humbug' and not allow people a Christmas party. I think particularly with footballers, with players, there is absolutely a time and a place for a festive enjoyment period, whether it's a party or a night out. "But I think the most important thing is the players have to remember their responsibilities and they have to do it at absolutely the right time."