Boumsong - in his own words

Reading it the other day it occurred to me that while he has not been totally misquoted the slant has not been entirely fair and reflective of the whole.

I have signed a pre-contract with Glasgow Rangers for the next five years. Rangers approached me and I was impressed in the way the dealt with me. I really felt that the management of the club wanted me to join their team. For me, the human dimension of my relationship with my employer is important above all else. It goes without saying that the Scottish Premier League is not one of Europe's major leagues, but Rangers are a huge club.



I dont see Rangers as a retirement home for players who were once at the very top but now in the twilight of their career, it is important not to believe this. The conversations I had with the directors of the club convinced me of this. Their goal is to create a young, competitive team. It is a big challenge, but an interesting one. I believe that Scottish football can progress. It is not covered by the media here in France, but it is widely covered in England. It could be that Rangers can become a springboard for me, a stage, but that is for the future.



My objective is to be a part of a competitive side that can compete with the big European sides from the very start of next season.

I know that my decision to go to Rangers will be heavily criticised, but I had no doubt about taking the decision and I have no regrets having done so. We will see if I have made the right or wrong move, but for now it is clear to me that I want to be with a club that considers me as a valuable member and one that has the correct attitude towards me.

At the end of last season, agreement was reached between Liverpool and Auxerre. Houllier explained to me that this agreement had to be confirmed by the Liverpool board. I waited on this final confirmation, but nothing came. After having waited until November, I presumed that Houllier no longer wanted me.



I believe he led me, and Auxerre up the garden path. I found this attitude a touch surprising, particularly after hearing Houllier declare that I was not fit to wear the Liverpool shirt. I suggest that it is for Houllier to examine his on integrity as a result of this affair. I am not the first player to have been treated this way by him and I am sure I will not be the last. He had already approached me when I was with Le Havre. An earlier hollow promise. It is simply sad but I have to ask myself if I man like him is worthy of such a senior position at such a great club? The way he deals withplayers greatly tarnishes the image of such a great club.




The Need for Peace of Mind

I need to have my future sorted before the beginning of 2004 in order to get my head straight. I need a certain amount of calm in my life. As soon as I understood that things would not work for me at Liverpool I took the steps to find another club. Everyone thought that I had signed, I had to go back to a difficult market and to be honest offers from big clubs were thin on the ground. I had to question if this was about the market or about my ability?

Inter Milan had made an offer, but subsequently withdrew it. There was never anything concrete though. OM [Marseille] also made an approach at the end of last season, but the proposal the placed on the table was extremely complicated. During the Confederations I learned that OM had budgetary problems and a limited amount to spend on players. My transfer would depend on the sale of Daniel Van Buyten. I could not wait and depend on this. I can understand that in these difficult times for clubs they have to balance the books, but I also believe that there have to be risks if a player is truly worthy of the club's jersey and can add to the team. At Rangers I found a respect and a will that liked and feel I could not find anywhere else.

DunantBlue