Rangers must win to show world they are back
WALTER SMITH has thrown down the gauntlet to Graeme Murty and Rangers by challenging them to prove to the world they are finally fit to fight for Celtic’s title.
In an exclusive interview with Record Sport the 70-year-old – who achieved legendary status over two trophy-laden stints in the Ibrox hotseat – says his old club is finally on the brink of
recovering from the financial catastrophe that followed his own retirement after clinching the Light Blues’ last top-flight crown in 2011.
Smith believes Rangers could even reclaim No.1 spot as soon as this season – providing Murty finds a way to cut the gap at the top to three points with a win over Celtic in Sunday’s eagerly anticipated derby.
He said: “Sunday’s game is one Rangers have to win.
“Not just for the sake of beating Celtic but for showing the rest of the world that, ‘Right, there might be a wee chase on for the league this year. Okay, this might be the start of Rangers coming back to being the club they were before all the turmoil.’
“So there’s a lot going on to this match and every Rangers player has an onus on him to show how badly they want to win it.
“They have to show they can set themselves up to defend well and to attack.
“They have to show they can handle the circumstances around this match more than anything else.”
And with two more Old Firm showdowns to come before the end of the campaign Smith says Murty has the perfect chance to convince Dave King’s board to give him the Ibrox job on a long-term basis.
He said: “Managers are not always great at picking other managers. We should probably leave that to the board members.
“But when Graeme took the job he had nothing to lose and it’s the same going into these games.
“If he goes and wins them then why wouldn’t he deserve the job on a full-time basis?
“He has shown he has settled into the job. That hasn’t been a problem.
“But between now and the end of the season he’ll have to show he can handle that aspect of it and the pressure that comes with it.
“If he can handle all these things then why not?”