Blackpool boss Neil McDonald has informed The Blackpool Gazette that Nile Ranger still has no future with the club. The striker today apologised on social media for going AWOL and wants to be considered for first-team selection.
24-year-old Ranger was surprisingly offered a new contract at the end of last season after an exodus of players departed Bloomfield Road following relegation from the Championship. Earlier that season he went AWOL, with Ranger claiming family issues as the reasoning for his absence. However he reported late for pre-season training, leading to McDonald insisting he has no future at the football club.
Ranger’s lengthy comments on Twitter today see’s the former Newcastle United man announce that the death of two close friends have led to him realising he has been taking things for granted in football. He went on to thank all of his previous clubs and Blackpool for giving him the opportunities to play in the game. He also issued an outright apology to the management, players, staff and fans of all of the clubs. He insists his only hope is to one day get back on the football pitch, insisting he loves it and misses it greatly.
Ranger recently posted videos, again on social media, of him performing some high intensity training. Contractually he is now allowed to train at Blackpool again, but McDonald maintains that he has no future whilst he is the manager and is also confused as to why he is still contracted to Blackpool,
“The player has no future at this club. You’ll have to ask the hierarchy why he is still here.
Nobody needs this, me or the lad (Ranger). He can come back and put things on social media showing him training and grafting, but he’s not really. He’s come back to cause a bit of havoc and some headlines.
He didn’t even turn up on Friday, so that’s what we are having to deal with. I’ve been told we have to make facilities available to him and that’s what we’ll do. But he certainly won’t come into the fold here and he won’t come into the team, that’s for sure.”
Blackpool remain bottom of League One after only one win and six defeats in their opening nine league games. Tonight they entertain last season’s Play-Off Semi-Finalists Chesterfield, managed by Dean Saunders.
