Ditch the humility & start telling football world how good a job you’re doing
Neil reckons Murty must push to ensure he is Gers boss next term PRESTON GAFFER’S PLEA TO PAL
He’s grown into the role and I’m not surprised in the slightest how well he has done ALEX NEIL
ALEX NEIL believes it’s time for Graeme Murty to end his role as pretender to the Rangers throne and be crowned king of Ibrox.
The Preston boss watched the Light Blues gaffer cut his coaching teeth in Norwich’s youth set-up then a meteoric rise as interim manager at Ibrox after the shambolic Pedro Caixinha reign.
That spell together when Neil was in charge of the Canaries was enough for the former Hamilton boss to believe Murty is much more than a man in the right place at the right time.
Neil said: “There needs to come a stage when the apprenticeship ends. Ask most young coaches if they want to become manager at Rangers, of course most would bite your hand off.
“Graeme’s message at the moment is about his gratitude and amazement that he’s getting the chance, and playing it all down appears to be working for him. “I’d expect that humility to continue but there will come a stage where he needs to change the message if he wants the job on a long-term basis.
“He will need to stake his claim. He needs to start saying, ‘Look at what I have done’.
“If Rangers finish the season strongly then he needs to promote himself as the main candidate on merit.
“He needs to change the message by putting his hat in the ring and asking, ‘Why shouldn’t I be getting the job? Just look at how I have managed to turn things around’.”
Neil knows football’s twists of fates well and its ability to carve out the future more by fashion than design.
And he is adamant Murty has earned his own good fortune during his short spell in Glasgow by being fast-tracked into the Ibrox hotseat.
He said: “I remember speaking to Graeme before he left to join Rangers and he certainly wasn’t going there with any intention of being involved with the first team.
“He was going there to be their Under-20s coach and that was quite clear. His intentions were nothing more than that and that came across clearly during my conversations with him. “Not for one minute did he go to Ibrox with any expectation of being promoted into the top job.
“In his eyes he was moving to Glasgow as part of his learning curve.
“He was excited at being involved with such a big club. So to find himself in the Rangers job in such a short space of time is incredible. “So I can understand why he’s been saying the things he has.
“I was at the League Cup Final between Celtic and Motherwell and we had a chat.
“I was also at the semi-final between Rangers and Motherwell and we had a catch up there too.
“He’s grown into the role as a manager and I’m not surprised in the slightest how well Graeme has done.”
Murty has gone on record as stating Neil’s encouragement was a big factor in making the switch from Norwich to Rangers.
And the Preston manager is convinced the Ibrox gaffer has helped restore Rangers as the second best side in the country.
He said: “If you compare Rangers to the rest of the clubs in the Premiership then it’s only Celtic who are superior.
“Celtic are by far and away the best club in the league. They have the biggest budget and they have the best players.
“Celtic also have the most experienced manager in terms of being at the highest level.
“But it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Rangers have managed to get their act together recently as they are now operating at a level they should be.
“Behind Celtic you would expect Rangers to be there and then there’s Hibs and Aberdeen and that’s the case this season.
“In terms of budget Rangers lag behind Celtic but they are where they should be and that’s second best in the country as it stands at the moment.
“Rangers are a club with international players and you could argue that they underachieved before Graeme got the job.
“There is no argument that he’s certainly made them better during the time he’s been in charge and that’s a huge positive for him.”
Murty’s January recruitment drive was watched closely by Neil and he believes the signings and loan deals are evidence of the manager’s guile in knowing exactly what was required to enhance the quality that was already at Ibrox.
He said: “The work Graeme did during the January transfer window impressed me as he spread his resources so well.
“The signing of Russell Martin was a clever one as he’s added a player with experience, a Scottish international and someone who Graeme knows well from Norwich.
“What he was doing there was putting one of his own guys into the Rangers dressing room and that was a clever thing to do.
“He’s brought in young Greg Docherty from Hamilton and he’s a kid enjoying a great season.
“It’s no surprise to anyone who knows the boy that he’s done so well in recent weeks as he’s a Rangers diehard who’s just delighted to be there.
“This is his reward for having a great seasonº at Hamilton as a major part of their engine room.
“Jamie Murphy has also been a good addition. He’s an experienced guy who’s been involved with Scotland squads and operated in the English Premier League.
“Sean Goss has arrived on loan from QPR and they’ve both undoubtedly helped lift the quality of the squad and made Rangers better.”