RED (white & blue) ADAIR
Murty rides to the rescue as he sets sights on being outstanding with ‘chance of a lifetime’
I don’t just want to be good. I want to smash everything I do out the park GRAEME MURTY
THE club crest features a lion and Graeme Murty is ready to roar as he bids over the next six months to become long-term boss of Rangers. Aye, he’s ready. The former Scotland full-back took the call on Thursday night that changed his life – an offer, literally out of the blue, he didn’t see coming.
He was invited to the home of managing director Stewart Robertson and it wasn’t exactly a social call to pull Christmas crackers.
Instead Robertson and his board outlined a plan they had pulled together over the previous few days to appoint the former Under-20s coach until the end of the season.
In time it will either come to be viewed as a managerial fudge or a fantastic opportunity for a rookie gaffer to fulfil the potential his bosses have seen during two stints this year as the Red Adair of Edmiston Drive.
Murty said: “I received a call about 8.30pm on Thursday and went to Stewart’s house.
“I’d previously talked to (director of football) Mark Allen about my position as interim – how I was feeling, how I felt the squad was doing.
“Throughout this week I’ve been focusing on preparing the guys for the festive games and hadn’t actually been thinking about my own position.
“We had been discussing targets, structures and we were looking at players. I thought the meeting would be to talk about the club and moving forward.
“I didn’t think I’d be on the agenda as an item and it turns out I was. Everything was agreed fairly instantly.
“It was really a no-brainer for me. You get offered one chance, possibly the chance of a lifetime, to manage a football club like this and it’s not something you could turn down. I have no doubts there are Rangers fans and pundits who are quite satisfied with the decision.
“I also have no doubts there are lots of people dissatisfied – but it is my job to turn that into belief.
“If I do that through good performances and results and ultimately we start to challenge – as I believe we could and should – then hopefully I give the board a difficult decision to make in the summer.
“If I don’t then it won’t be through a lack of trying. I will do everything I can to repay the faith the board have shown in me. I don’t just want to be good, I want to be outstanding. I want to push on and smash everything I do out the park.”
Rangers are taking a huge financial gamble just weeks after an agm in which chairman Dave King admitted losses could not be sustained forevermore.
Murty will now be challenged with moulding a group of players assembled by former managers Mark Warburton and Pedro Caixinha while he also has the go-ahead to give the final say on January recruitment.
Rangers claim Murty has risen to the challenge in recent weeks although he has also overseen damaging
defeats to Hamilton, Dundee and St Johnstone as well as two victories over Aberdeen and one at Hibs.
Might he stick or twist in the transfer window? Bring in six of his own players and go all out to win the job on his own terms knowing failure could see the club even further behind the financial blackball in June if it doesn’t work out?
Murty said: “It’s a good question. You could bring in lots and lots of players but they would have to be productive. There is no point bringing players in who are just going to be squad players or aren’t going to play in the starting line-up.
“The squad needs reinforced and we’ve identified key areas to target.
“Strengthening them will be our main impetus in the transfer window. Previously I was preparing a portfolio for someone else. Now I have the final decision. I haven’t been given financial parameters but we know the arena we’re working in.”
Rangers have been hamstrung by inconsistency this season but a win at Kilmarnock this lunchtime would see them return to second and within five points of Celtic before the reigning champions entertain Aberdeen.
Murty had previously declared there was little point shouting about a title challenge when his side struggled to string three wins in the Premiership together.
But even Celtic have faltered and he sees opportunities in the months ahead to enhance the chances of his squad and by association his own of landing the job long term. He said: “Everything is on the table. There is a cup competition to play for. We’re close at the top of the league and could be closer if we’d have executed and taken our chances.
“Consistency has been an issue for this squad and we must find a way collectively to stay at our heights for longer.
“The players know a win against Kilmarnock will take them closer to Celtic and Aberdeen but we can’t worry about that game and must take care of our own business. We need to execute and sometimes when we’ve had an opportunity we’ve come up short. These chances won’t continue to present themselves – we must grasp them. We have two big games before Celtic next week and I will be challenging the players to go and get as close to the top of the table as possible.”
Murty has yet to decide if he’ll pull on a suit at Rugby Park but he won’t pull the wool over anyone’s eyes by trying to claim he was the first, last and everything of the Ibrox board.
He said: “I’m not naive enough to think there wasn’t pursuit of other people but that’s fine.
“The board have also seen fit on the back of my work to put a great deal of faith in me. If anything that’s a greater motivation and positive than any negative at being second, third or fourth choice – or not being on the list at all.
“All I can do is realise the scope and scale of the opportunity, be grateful for it and try to maximise it to the fullest.”