Dailly departs for Rangers

Christian Dailly has been allowed to leave West Ham United after a seven-year stay to sign for Scottish leaders Rangers.

The Scotland defender, and former club captain, was the longest-serving first-team player at the Boleyn Ground - an honour now shared between Anton Ferdinand and Matthew Etherington - and has been described by manager Alan Curbishley as a "fantastic servant". In all, he made 191 appearances for the club, scoring five goals. Earlier this campaign, he spent two months on loan at Southampton, playing eleven times, before he returned in early December

The versatile Dailly signed for West Ham United on 18 January 2001 from Blackburn Rovers and, after his debut four days later in 1-1 draw at Charlton Athletic, went on to have an instant impact. The following campaign he helped the club finish seventh in the top flight, playing every minute of every game in that season. Having also appeared in the 2004/05 play-off final triumph, Dailly also played in the 2006 FA Cup final against Liverpool, coming on as a substitute.

The father-of-four, who has been capped 66 times by his country, was a firm fans' favourite in east London and has only good words to say about his time in claret and blue. "I will always feel fondly about it," he said in an interview with the matchday programme. "It's a brilliant club. It's massive. There are so many West Ham fans everywhere you go. They seem to pop up everywhere. It's so big. People who aren't involved with West Ham don't realise quite how big the club is."

Dailly's last first-team appearance for West Ham United came on 24 February 2007, although he was on the bench for the trip to Middlesbrough on 22 December and has been a regular in the reserves during this campaign. According to Kevin Keen, the 34-year-old was invaluable in setting the right example for the club's younger talents. "Christian has a real enthusiasm for the game. He does everything right and he is really fit. He talks to the players in the way they understand."