JOURNEY: DON’T STOP BELIEVING
It’s been a long road back for Rangers but skipper Lee Wallace has no regrets over decision he made 5 years ago
IT has probably taken Lee Wallace longer than he expected. The Rangers journey – from Scottish football’s rock bottom to the game’s summit.
When he chose to stay at Ibrox the captain vowed to be there when they reached the top again. Five years on he’s still trying to get there.
His Rangers team will walk out at Parkhead knowing defeat would leave them a staggering 36 points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic.
So Wallace accepts he has a bit to go. For the 29-year-old the quest won’t end until he’s holding aloft the Premiership trophy. Only then will he have a smile on his face and a feeling of contentment.
He said: “When we were in the Third Division I said I wanted to be here for the journey back to the top. A phrase I used then was getting us back to where we belong – I took that from Ally Mccoist.
“And in terms of where we belong, by definition I feel that means winning league titles, in the Champions League group stage and winning silverware.
“So until that point I won’t be fully satisfied. That will be the time when I can smile and be content with the decision I made.
“I’m happy with the decision but only then will I sit back and feel proud of it. Until then we’re still fighting to get there.
“We still have a few incentives going to Celtic Park. We understand every record they’ve already broken as well as ones they can go on to break if they win this fixture.
“We’ve got them twice more in the league and we want to stop them doing a clean sweep on us.
“There’s also the Treble that’s still out there as well. We’re aware of all that so it would be nice to put a stop to these things by going there and winning. If we do that we’ll generate a bit of belief and confidence and hopefully finish the season strongly.”
Wallace was visibly distraught when put up for interview in the aftermath of a 5-1 drubbing on Rangers’ last visit to Parkhead.
Experience has taught him to deal with setbacks better than when he was a young player.
Wallace said: “That 5-1 defeat hurt. I remember in the press room it was hard to speak. Losing 5-1 in that manner, the emotions an hour or so after it weren’t great. It was one of the low points for guys who had experienced the fixture before.
“It wasn’t about any gap at that point. It was the fact we’d lost in that manner and everyone in the dressing room was hurting.
“We analyse things heavily here now but with experience I’ve got better in terms of handling moments like that.
“If you’re moping about the place it’s not going to help you in the next game.
“That’s something I’ve learned because you have to make sure you’re at your very best physically and mentally for the next one.”