BlueMeanie
Well-Known Member
The former Ibrox skipper believes the manager is setting a standard that hasn't been seen for some time.
It wasn’t the players in the team alongside me who drove me to be the best I could be at Rangers. It was the ones who weren’t in it.
Before every game I looked across to see who was in the dugout. Then I’d scan the stand and know there were always two of three players still with their club suits on. Men of the quality of Tugay and Jorg Albertz.
That reminded me that if I wasn’t on it then I might find myself sitting next to them.
In my day a list went up on the board on a Friday and there were 18 or 19 names who travelled for the game.
Every week there were boys who scanned the list and were disappointed and upset.
But come a Monday morning, these guys were right back at it and showing the manager how badly they didn’t want to be left out. That battle was a given during the good old days, nobody wanted to be out of the 18 and we all wanted into the starting XI.
That’s the character which is needed. You need to be on your toes as even if you’d been part of a side which had won the previous week, that check down the list to see your name was an anxious one.
We had to be on the mettle during every training session and if you weren’t, you’d be left out.
I always felt that anxiety. Not once did I arrive for training and believe I could take it easy as I would still be playing on the Saturday.
Captain or no captain, you need that inner desire to show you want to stay in this team and that’s the real transformation which Steven Gerrard has brought to the club this summer.
It was clear from the line-up which started against St Joseph’s that the manager is prepared to give boys an opportunity.
He wants to see who is and who isn’t up for the fight to get into his starting XI. Battling the hell with one another to try to get into that team.
I liked his remarks about wanting a first team squad of around 22 or 23 players are battling for a game. That scrap for a start is something which hasn’t been witnessed at Rangers for a number of years.
It’s the biggest marker in showing a squad which is getting stronger with eight new additions this summer.
Look at any successful side and you will see the secret is competition for places, that’s what you need if you are to achieve anything.
Gerrard has been striving for that since he came in last summer, it was one of the first things he said when he was unveiled.
It may sound simple but success comes down to strength of squad and nobody is now guaranteed a game. That means if you are training or if you get an opportunity to play then it’s all about staking a claim to be in that starting XI.
There are now options everywhere.
Gerrard knows his squad is too big and he’s been honest with those he’s doesn’t feel he needs and that’s all he can do. Honesty is the best way and he’s told some players they’re not part of his plans and they will respect it, even if they aren’t happy about it.
I’ve spoken to my Rangers supporting mates about the Daniel Candeias situation and they all agree that every time he’s played he’s worked his socks off. He’s 100-per-cent committed but lacks a wee bit of quality at times in the final third.
He’s 31-years-old now and at an age where he needs to play and won’t be guaranteed that at Rangers so he has to look elsewhere.
You aren’t a footballer for a long time so you also need to respect his decision not to want to stay and fight for his place.
No player should be guaranteed a game at any club so I also respect the manager’s position for making that blatantly clear to Candeias.
I don’t get carried away with Rangers these days, the club are still really in the middle of their pre-season but the signs are there that this season can be a successful and significant one.
You can see by the signings who’ve come in that Gerrard has brought the excitement back.
He’s only been 12 months in the job but you can definitely see what he’s trying to do.
You can sense that feel-good factor which is around Ibrox which has been missing for so long.
The manager has brought that back. Listen to the way he talks, he’s straight down the middle.
I truly believe Rangers now have genuine quality but I’m not going to say they’ll win the league or cups but slowly but surely the mentality has changed under Gerrard.
This is a squad of players now looking over their shoulders.
It wasn’t the players in the team alongside me who drove me to be the best I could be at Rangers. It was the ones who weren’t in it.
Before every game I looked across to see who was in the dugout. Then I’d scan the stand and know there were always two of three players still with their club suits on. Men of the quality of Tugay and Jorg Albertz.
That reminded me that if I wasn’t on it then I might find myself sitting next to them.
In my day a list went up on the board on a Friday and there were 18 or 19 names who travelled for the game.
Every week there were boys who scanned the list and were disappointed and upset.
But come a Monday morning, these guys were right back at it and showing the manager how badly they didn’t want to be left out. That battle was a given during the good old days, nobody wanted to be out of the 18 and we all wanted into the starting XI.
That’s the character which is needed. You need to be on your toes as even if you’d been part of a side which had won the previous week, that check down the list to see your name was an anxious one.
We had to be on the mettle during every training session and if you weren’t, you’d be left out.
I always felt that anxiety. Not once did I arrive for training and believe I could take it easy as I would still be playing on the Saturday.
Captain or no captain, you need that inner desire to show you want to stay in this team and that’s the real transformation which Steven Gerrard has brought to the club this summer.
It was clear from the line-up which started against St Joseph’s that the manager is prepared to give boys an opportunity.
He wants to see who is and who isn’t up for the fight to get into his starting XI. Battling the hell with one another to try to get into that team.
I liked his remarks about wanting a first team squad of around 22 or 23 players are battling for a game. That scrap for a start is something which hasn’t been witnessed at Rangers for a number of years.
It’s the biggest marker in showing a squad which is getting stronger with eight new additions this summer.
Look at any successful side and you will see the secret is competition for places, that’s what you need if you are to achieve anything.
Gerrard has been striving for that since he came in last summer, it was one of the first things he said when he was unveiled.
It may sound simple but success comes down to strength of squad and nobody is now guaranteed a game. That means if you are training or if you get an opportunity to play then it’s all about staking a claim to be in that starting XI.
There are now options everywhere.
Gerrard knows his squad is too big and he’s been honest with those he’s doesn’t feel he needs and that’s all he can do. Honesty is the best way and he’s told some players they’re not part of his plans and they will respect it, even if they aren’t happy about it.
I’ve spoken to my Rangers supporting mates about the Daniel Candeias situation and they all agree that every time he’s played he’s worked his socks off. He’s 100-per-cent committed but lacks a wee bit of quality at times in the final third.
He’s 31-years-old now and at an age where he needs to play and won’t be guaranteed that at Rangers so he has to look elsewhere.
You aren’t a footballer for a long time so you also need to respect his decision not to want to stay and fight for his place.
No player should be guaranteed a game at any club so I also respect the manager’s position for making that blatantly clear to Candeias.
I don’t get carried away with Rangers these days, the club are still really in the middle of their pre-season but the signs are there that this season can be a successful and significant one.
You can see by the signings who’ve come in that Gerrard has brought the excitement back.
He’s only been 12 months in the job but you can definitely see what he’s trying to do.
You can sense that feel-good factor which is around Ibrox which has been missing for so long.
The manager has brought that back. Listen to the way he talks, he’s straight down the middle.
I truly believe Rangers now have genuine quality but I’m not going to say they’ll win the league or cups but slowly but surely the mentality has changed under Gerrard.
This is a squad of players now looking over their shoulders.
