nterview with Ian Durrant: LAST summer was no laughing matter for Rangers. This summer Ian Durrant looks at the players before him and just SMILES Durrant said: It was well documented what happened 12 months ago but that’s history. You’ve got to look at what’s happening now and the pedigree we’re getting in. Make no bones about it — I smile at the players we’ve got for playing in the Second Division. At Rangers you have to set standards and we’ve a quality of player now we’re looking forward to playing with. We can play a couple of the new ones as trialists in league games before September but the people who get the jerseys first also must make the most of it. It’s healthy competition. When I played, the motto was ‘Bring it on’. If you want to get in the team, you have to replace me — simple as that. We simply want to create competition. Young Kyle McAusland has come in and done great in pre-season but there’s also Ian Black, Nicky Law, Lewis MacLeod and Kyle Hutton. They are going for only two positions. Whoever takes the jersey and makes the most of it will play. The manager has made no bones about it. We’ve got healthy competition and it’s good now. It breeds confidence and you must play well week in, week out to get a game. It’s a quiet dressing room just now but that’ll change once they all get to know each other. Some of them are quiet by nature. Wee Nicky Law goes about his business quietly, Nicky Clark is the same. We have strong voices like big Jon Daly, Lee McCulloch and Lee Wallace when it comes to the games. We’ve got a squad we’re really happy with. If we could get one more player in a certain position we’d be more than delighted but just now the healthy competition is great to see. If we get a centre-back is that our wishlist ticked off? I think so but we don’t want to be greedy. We’ve had big Mohsni in and with Emilson Cribari they’ve done well. We’ve always said if we got Emilson beside an experienced centre-half then we’d see the best of him. We’ve had three clean sheets. It’s not rocket science — if you’re solid at the back then you’ll not lose goals. We’ve added a goal threat in Daly and Clark, we’ve got Lewis MacLeod breaking from midfield so there is a solidness to the team. We’ve also brought in goals as well. Lewis is a young boy who came into a difficult environment last year and was our wee shining light. He’s got to step it up again. He’s been away with Scotland and is highly rated by their coaches. It’s the same here. There’s pressure on Lewis now. People will ask whether he’s a one-season wonder in the Third Division or if he can go to another level. I think he can go to another level but in the end it’s all down to Lewis.//Stevie
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 07:31:17 +0000
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