We’ve invited fans of the 42 SPFL clubs (well, some of them at least) to give us a preview of their team’s upcoming season. Let’s find out what Robert Clark thinks is in store for Rangers…
Last Season’s Position – 3rd
This Season’s Prediction – 1st
Best Signing Of The Summer So Far – Andy Halliday
For the first time in a long time there has been a genuine buzz among Rangers supporters when it comes to our player recruitment. All of the new management team’s additions have been under 25 with the likes of Robbie Kiernan, Wes Foderingham and Jordan Thompson all brought in and the familiar face of Danny Wilson returning to Auchenhowie for a second spell. The one acquisition set to get the Ibrox faithful off their seats is self-confessed Blue Nose, Andy Halliday. This move has been a long time coming it would seem: the former Livi winger has been linked with the Light Blues on-and-off since early 2013.
Having broke Jose Mourinho’s heart last season, Halliday comes back to Scotland as a much more complete player. His pace and inventiveness, coupled with his genuine threat in front of goal make him a shoo-in to become a fan’s favourite in no time.
Key Man – Andy Murdoch
In previous campaigns too many of Rangers’ key men have failed to deliver when it mattered most for one reason or another. This season there will be no hiding place, playing under a manager who demands the highest standards from his squad.
Without placing too much pressure on the lad, Andy Murdoch was a real shining light towards the end of last season having come into the Rangers midfield off the back of some dismal displays from his predecessor, Ian Black. Murdoch added some snap and bite to the engine room and brought with it a cool head. The Paisley born boy fits the bill as the type of player his new manager is keen to promote and develop: intelligence and hard graft come naturally to this kid so all that’s left is application which has never been in doubt since he broke onto the scene.
At only 20 years old, Murdoch could become a linchpin in this side for years to come but for the immediate future he’ll be looking to pick up where he left off and win a starting jersey for that first competitive match at Easter Road come July 25th.
The Manager – Mark Warburton
Rangers and, indeed, Scottish Football has pulled off the biggest coup our game has seen for years with the arrival of Mark Warburton through the front door of Ibrox Stadium. The new Rangers boss has the potential to reinvent the product on the pitch at Ibrox in the same way Henry Ford reshaped the motor industry.
Make no bones about it, the Londoner is a revolutionary of the modern game, having a bona fide model for a football club that saw Brentford climb from obscurity to being a breath away from the Holy Grail of English Football, the Premier League. Most notably Warburton was involved in setting up the NextGen Series, a European competition for under-19 players which shows his passion and desire to not only see young players getting exposure and game time but also progressing as professionals too.
Rangers fans should and will be excited as this guy has a burning ambition to see his teams be successful and play football the right way through youth and ability. Let’s not forget also how important David Weir is to the new man in charge, their relationship is one of respect but most of all absolute confidence in the other’s ability and belief in what they are setting out to achieve. Again, Rangers have really appointed the best man for the job and the only way is up. August 7th will be a special night for both the supporters and the management team as they are officially welcomed by that infamous Rangers support.
Expectations
There is no margin for error this season for Rangers, as in the previous campaign from the off many suggested it simply did not matter if a Playoff place was all they mustered come the end of the league matches so long as they were victorious come May 31st.
The title is a must not only for the players and fans but also to set down a marker to the Premiership teams to say ‘the Rangers are coming and boy do we mean business’. Mark Warburton has stressed that this season will not be about 11 players or 14 it will be about his whole squad and with that in mind he is determined to only add quality not quantity, which is where the previous manager possibly got things wrong.
Rangers’ first four league matches sees them up against three sides certainly keen to compete in and around the top four with an away trip to Alloa thrown in for good measure. Add to that the Challenge Cup tie at Easter Road and it’s sure to have given Warburton and Weir plenty to think about with both knowing just how important a good start will be to the Club’s ambitions this year.
As a fan of the hit series ‘Friday Night Lights’ finishing with a Coach Taylor quote feels fitting so here goes…
“Talent wins you games, but teamwork wins you Championships”
About the Author
Robert Clark emigrated from Kilsyth to Englandshire back in 2002 and has been flying the flag for our game ever since. Convincing bleary-eyed Premier League fans that, yes, Messi did almost sign on loan at Ibrox and Stiliyan Petrov moonlighted during his time at Celtic in a burger van.
Robert will never have a bad word said about Alec Cleland and refuses to acknowledge Nigel Quashie was ever capped for Scotland.
Follow him on Twitter: @mrplimsole
