Bonnyloyal
Well-Known Member
Paul Hartley has already had a
sit-down with Rangers new boy Greg Stewart to prepare him for life in the Old Firm goldfish bowl.
The Ibrox new boy’s former Dundee boss was delighted to see the 29-year-old clinch his dream move to his boyhood heroes earlier this week.
Hartley was the one who took a gamble when he took the talented attacker from part-time Cowdenbeath to Dens Park and since then Stewart has gone on to Birmingham and now to Rangers, via loan spells at Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.
Hartley, who made his own switch from Hearts to Celtic at a similar age, has spoken to Stewart at length about how his life will now change and what he needs to do to be a success in Light Blue.
He said: “I’m delighted for Greg. He’s a Rangers fan and at 29 it’s a dream come true for him
“I’ve known for a couple of weeks Greg was going there and I met up with him and had a chat about things. I told him he was going to play for an Old Firm team and he has to prepare himself for that.
“It’s a different world when you go to Rangers or Celtic, in terms of the professionalism and what you need to do and be aware of. His life will change and he knows that.
“I went to Celtic at 30. I was experienced and I was a similar position to Greg where I was joining my boyhood team.
“You know when you go there that there are really good players about you and you aren’t guaranteed a game but you need to force your way into the team.”
The arrival of Stewart has raised more than a few eyebrows among the Rangers support. Stewart struggled to make an impact at Birmingham and in his two loans at Aberdeen, although he did light up the Premiership at the start of this season when he was with Kilmarnock.
And Hartley doesn’t expect his former charge to just make up the numbers in Steven Gerrard’s multi-talented squad either.
He added: “Greg showed his quality at Kilmarnock and against Rangers he scored a magnificent goal
He was on top of his game in the first half of the season and then it didn’t quite work out for him in the second half of the season for whatever reason.
“It’s a great opportunity for Greg and I don’t think anyone can begrudge him it. People might question him but it’s up to Greg to go and prove people wrong and I’m sure he will.
“He knows he will need to work hard because it won’t be easy for him. At 29 he has to grasp the opportunity to go there and not be a squad player. I don’t think he will be. He has to go impress, be as fit as he can be and be ready.
“He has such great quality and ability and it comes down to where Rangers want to play him.
“I’d play him off a front player because he can open defences up and score. For me he has more than enough ability. I know he is as good as anybody on his day.
“But he can also play in the wider area and he will offer Rangers good versatility. He has scored over 45 goals in his spells at Dundee, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen
“I don’t think that’s a bad return because he’s not a No. 9. He has a good goalscoring record. He is also good on the ball and you know when he has it there is a fair chance something is going to happen.
“He was different class at Kilmarnock and if he’d stayed there and maintained that form he would have been in the running for the Player of the Year.”
Stewart’s rise to fame mirrors that of his ex-Dundee team-mate Scott Bain whom Hartley also took from part-time football at Alloa and is now playing for Celtic and Scotland. Hartley recalls Stewart’s early days in full-time football and how it was something of a culture shock to him.
He said: “I took Greg and Bain from part-time football and look where they have ended up.
“Greg is a great boy but you only have to look at where he was five years ago.
“I remember his first pre-season in Hungary with us. It was a real eye-opener for him because he’d been used to working and then training just two nights a week a Cowdenbeath.
“He found the start really tough but got fitter and fitter and we all knew the quality he had
The Ibrox new boy’s former Dundee boss was delighted to see the 29-year-old clinch his dream move to his boyhood heroes earlier this week.
Hartley was the one who took a gamble when he took the talented attacker from part-time Cowdenbeath to Dens Park and since then Stewart has gone on to Birmingham and now to Rangers, via loan spells at Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.
Hartley, who made his own switch from Hearts to Celtic at a similar age, has spoken to Stewart at length about how his life will now change and what he needs to do to be a success in Light Blue.
He said: “I’m delighted for Greg. He’s a Rangers fan and at 29 it’s a dream come true for him
“I’ve known for a couple of weeks Greg was going there and I met up with him and had a chat about things. I told him he was going to play for an Old Firm team and he has to prepare himself for that.
“It’s a different world when you go to Rangers or Celtic, in terms of the professionalism and what you need to do and be aware of. His life will change and he knows that.
“I went to Celtic at 30. I was experienced and I was a similar position to Greg where I was joining my boyhood team.
“You know when you go there that there are really good players about you and you aren’t guaranteed a game but you need to force your way into the team.”
The arrival of Stewart has raised more than a few eyebrows among the Rangers support. Stewart struggled to make an impact at Birmingham and in his two loans at Aberdeen, although he did light up the Premiership at the start of this season when he was with Kilmarnock.
And Hartley doesn’t expect his former charge to just make up the numbers in Steven Gerrard’s multi-talented squad either.
He added: “Greg showed his quality at Kilmarnock and against Rangers he scored a magnificent goal
He was on top of his game in the first half of the season and then it didn’t quite work out for him in the second half of the season for whatever reason.
“It’s a great opportunity for Greg and I don’t think anyone can begrudge him it. People might question him but it’s up to Greg to go and prove people wrong and I’m sure he will.
“He knows he will need to work hard because it won’t be easy for him. At 29 he has to grasp the opportunity to go there and not be a squad player. I don’t think he will be. He has to go impress, be as fit as he can be and be ready.
“He has such great quality and ability and it comes down to where Rangers want to play him.
“I’d play him off a front player because he can open defences up and score. For me he has more than enough ability. I know he is as good as anybody on his day.
“But he can also play in the wider area and he will offer Rangers good versatility. He has scored over 45 goals in his spells at Dundee, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen
“I don’t think that’s a bad return because he’s not a No. 9. He has a good goalscoring record. He is also good on the ball and you know when he has it there is a fair chance something is going to happen.
“He was different class at Kilmarnock and if he’d stayed there and maintained that form he would have been in the running for the Player of the Year.”
Stewart’s rise to fame mirrors that of his ex-Dundee team-mate Scott Bain whom Hartley also took from part-time football at Alloa and is now playing for Celtic and Scotland. Hartley recalls Stewart’s early days in full-time football and how it was something of a culture shock to him.
He said: “I took Greg and Bain from part-time football and look where they have ended up.
“Greg is a great boy but you only have to look at where he was five years ago.
“I remember his first pre-season in Hungary with us. It was a real eye-opener for him because he’d been used to working and then training just two nights a week a Cowdenbeath.
“He found the start really tough but got fitter and fitter and we all knew the quality he had
