Older Blues but no gray areas for Murty... same rules apply as for U20s
GRAEME MURTY put his message across. Now it is up to the Rangers squad to put it into action. The departure of Mark Warburton on Friday evening saw Murty thrust into the Ibrox spotlight. Only time will tell how long he remains the most important man at Auchenhowie.
Whether it is for another day, a week or until the end of the campaign, he is determined to do his best for the players and the club.
Just hours after Warburton’s exit was confirmed, Murty led the Light Blues to victory over Morton as a Scottish Cup quarterfinal berth was secured.
Now the Under-20 boss has a chance to make more of an impact as attentions turn to the Premiership clash with Dundee this weekend.
A new era has begun at Rangers. No matter how long it, lasts, Murty is keen to make an impression.
“I can’t go in there and mind read what the players are thinking, I don’t think anyone can,” he said.
“Once they are overt with you and they tell you, you can then be open and honest with them and tell them your expectations.
“They have an expectation of the way they want to play, I have an expectation of the way I expect the teams I manage to behave. The 20s know it down to the letter I would imagine.
“I said to them ‘this is the way I see the game’ and I think hopefully they will appreciate that honesty.
“If I want a player to do something and he doesn’t do it I have got to assess whether he doesn’t know.
“If he doesn’t know, that is my fault. I can’t expect someone to do something they don’t know.
“With me being new, I might see the game differently from managers they have had in the past.
“If I am assuming they are going to do something, that is 100 per cent wrong on my part.
“I have to make it clear to them, and once I make it clear I have said that I will be accountable to them for my behaviours, but they need to be accountable to the team and myself for what they are doing on the pitch. They know that.
“They were open with it, quite pleased with it. I am not saying it is different from how the first team worked previously, it is just how I like to be.”
AFTER just six minutes on Sunday, Murty was staring at a debut in the dugout that could have been a nightmare as Morton took a surprise lead.
Come the end of a competitive cup clash, he could reflect on a job done and a game won thanks to goals from Kenny Miller and Martyn Waghorn.
The result was more important than the performance from Rangers. Next time out, Murty will demand better from his side.
“I was pleased with their attitude, pleased with the way they handled themselves,” he said. “It is not easy, your head is all over the place.
“It is difficult to try and please a new manager, even though consciously you are not doing it, you are just playing the game. Sub-consciously, I think you are always looking at ‘what does he want? What is he after?’
“I thought they got past that bit, got past a really challenging start conceding the goal. I have shown them in analysis, there were some really good bits of play, we just didn’t sustain it.
“The difference between the good bits and the bits we need to improve are a bit stark at the moment, or they were on Sunday.
“We have talked about polishing those things up. I have come away from the analysis with a really positive outlook and I hope they have as well.”
It may have been a whirlwind weekend for Murty but it was still a successful one as he took his first steps on to the touchline at first-team level.
The 42-year-old was appointed Head Development Squad Coach in August and charged with producing the next generation of Light Blue kids.
He is grateful for the support he has received from the Ibrox squad after being asked to handle first-team affairs.
“It was challenging, it was stretching but it was really enjoyable,” he said.
“Just being part of the firstteam environment as an experience and for your first game to be at Ibrox and managing that expectation and that level of team, you can’t really buy that to be honest.
“I enjoyed the experience more than I enjoyed the game I would say!
“That is just me, I am not very good at hiding what I feel so you will kind of see how I am feeling all the time and I have told the players that.”
With his first game under his belt, Murty is now preparing for his second and the crucial Premiership showdown with Dundee this weekend.
He told RangersTV: “The players at the football club are talented, they have real ability. As far as I am concerned, it is just me giving them the freedom to express that ability, whilst having a structure and understanding that enables them to be difficult to play against.
“When you look at the attributes that we have, particularly in the forward areas, I think most teams in the country would die to have them.”
I might see the game differently from managers they have had in the past. If I am assuming they are going to do something, that is 100 per cent wrong on my part