I should be facing Stevie Gerrard and Kop U20s now I’m using the spirit of that 1-1 draw with Celtic to help me pull Gers together
SAYS GRAEME MURTY
I don’t think anyone in this seat should feel comfortable, it’s a challenge and honour GRAEME MURTY
GRAEME MURTY should have spent last night locking horns with Steven Gerrard at an Under-20 game.
Instead of overseeing a match the Ibrox kids lost 4-1, he’s on first-team duty today using inspiring memories of a joust with the Liverpool legend’s old boss Brendan Rodgers to try to revive Rangers.
For the second time in eight months Murty has answered an SOS. With Pedro Caixinha axed, the 42-year-old has been parachuted in to take the top team across the M8 to face Hearts.
It was the same scenario in February when Mark Warburton departed in acrimonious circumstances.
Murty is honoured by the second call, even if it has been a scramble to sort things out for Murrayfield while he tries to lift spirits within the squad in the wake of a Caixinha calamity.
But he said: “I was ready to go and give a talk to a team that was going to play Liverpool at Ibrox. I was potentially going to be standing on the sideline with Gerrard.
“Now I have a different challenge. That is just something I have to deal with.”
There might have been some poor results during his initial six-game spell, including losses to Inverness and Dundee, but Murty also remains the only Rangers manager to get anything other than a beating off Celtic since Rodgers arrived.
He admits he will use the positive energy and experience gained from that 1-1 draw at Parkhead in March as he embarks on his second stint as interim boss.
He said: “The colours, the sound and how vivid it still is. More than anything, the lessons I learned about myself and about this club from that day.
“I would be a fool not to draw on those as I move forward in this role. “I learned that when the players walk on to the pitch they need to have an identity and togetherness. I need to be able to get rid of any emotion I have. “That was difficult at Celtic Park but I’m really proud of what we did.
“The staff I worked with were fantastic and I am really grateful to them. That’s another good lesson – I won’t be able to do this on my own. I will be leaning on them heavily to give the players what they need.”
Whether Murty’s final comment was in reference to the claims Caixinha tried to do everything himself only he will know.
What is clear is he gets it. He’s been at Murray Park long enough to do so. Murty understands the responsibility of the post.
He said: “My personal feelings have to be subservient to the club’s needs. The players need to feel relaxed, confident and assured. They need some clarity to move forward.
“There are players I haven’t worked with
in the group so I need to get my message across so they can be great on the pitch.
“Continuing goodwill from the fans is earned daily. You can’t look back at what you did six months ago, a year or 18 months ago. You have to earn it every day.”
But Murty’s second stint might just be as shortlived as his first. With Gers hunting candidates such as Derek McInnes, he may only be in charge for Hearts and Partick Thistle next Saturday before he slips quietly back into his role within the academy.
But if whoever does get the job next has the same mindset as Murty, Rangers will do well judging by his understanding of the club’s current situation and position within the Scottish game.
The players like him as illustrated by the jokey texts sent about him not repeating his Dens Park somersault at Murrayfield.
He said: “The challenge is bridging the gap between us and them [Celtic]. We have to. This club has been built on success. We have to collectively strive to get the club back there.
“I don’t think anyone who steps into this seat should ever feel comfortable, they should feel as though it is a massive challenge and honour.
“I’m confident I can give the players what they need but we have to make sure it doesn’t turn into a sideshow. The main thing is the game and it will be.”