Withe November international break now in full swing, caretaker manager Graeme Murty has spoken of his pleasure at Rangers’ current run of form given we picked up back to back wins and six points from the last two games.
Taking a three one win over Hearts and then a three nil victory over Partick Thistle, Murty knew that confidence has been boosted as we went into the current lull in the fixture list and speaking to the Official Site he insisted we were in a good place.
‘It shows we are in a good place and it shows there are goals to come from the team. I don`t think there are many managers in Scotland that would turn down the array of attacking talent that we have. We just need to make sure that we understand how and when to utilise that attacking prowess and be a little bit more clinical.’
Murty went on to say.
‘But I can`t be displeased at all. For someone who is just in the door so to speak, the guys have been fantastic for me, they`ve been really good. When you see them work on a daily basis and you see them work at a high level, you understand the difference between youth and men`s football, particularly at this standard. Sometimes it`s great to see and I can`t wait to see what today`s training session brings and that`s really good for a coach, when you walk into training every day and you are really excited to see what the guys are going to produce.’
He added.
‘That`s what this football club is all about so, for me, it`s good, it`s really exciting, and I need to make sure I keep giving that energy and not get too down or deflated by other external stuff. We just have to make sure and understand that these guys are really good at what they do. It`s just making sure we keep that good feeling going and we manage the mood of the group well.’
With Murty bringing Kenny Miller back into the fold following his spat and falling out of favour with previous gaffer Pedro Caxinha, Miller’s response to being handed the armband was quick to see.
‘I`m not sure if he has done anything different, you would have to ask the players. For me Kenny has always been a great trainer, a good voice, a positive voice, and we have to make sure we have more of that ilk, players who want to train at that standard and who want to push the football club forward. But I think you see his impact on the pitch. In his first game back he scores two and gets an assist, but the people who work with him every day aren`t surprised because that`s how he trains. He`s not done it for me, he`s done it for the club and he`s done it for the players in the changing room that he works with on a daily basis. I just happen to be a beneficiary of it.’
He was also quick to praise the group for the attitude they’d given since he took charge – especially the youngsters like Ross McCrorie.
‘The strides Ross has made, that is possibly the most pleasing aspect for me, because we all know within the club how highly we regard him. It`s good for the fans to get to see that now because there are always questions about a young player when they come in, there are always questions about the programme he has gone through to get to where he is. Ross is a mature young man, he is still developing, but he`s in a really good place at the moment and that`s credit to him and credit to the coaches that have worked with him behind the scenes.’
He added.
‘We try to get them to experience lots of different roles within the Academy so that when they are called upon – and they might be called upon in the first team not in their first position – they understand the game rather than just the position so they can deploy basic standards and basic concepts really well. Ross is getting better at that, he is improving at that, but what Ross has got which is a really massive asset for any young athlete is a really open mindset. He wants to learn, he wants to come here and get better, and this is the start of a very good and hopefully long journey at this football club for him.’
