TALKING RANGERS
IT IS said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. The outcomes may or may not alter for Rangers. It would be mad not to give it a go, though.
The decision to withdraw from the Development League and arrange a series of fixtures with teams from the lower leagues, the academy system in England and the best youth sides the continent has to offer wasn’t taken lightly. This isn’t change for change’s sake.
It is unlikely to see the next generation of Ibrox hopefuls take a step back and if they can stride two forward then the gamble will have paid off. It is a throw of the dice from head of academy Craig Mulholland.
The Light Blues second string have already met Southampton and Feyenoord this summer and now they are preparing for the visit of Brighton next month. Matches against the likes of Tottenham, AZ Alkmaar and Liverpool will follow and agreements have been reached for games against Ajax, Chelsea and Inter Milan.
“I think what we have found with most of [the clubs] is a jealousy almost because they like the i dea of the programme,” he told SportTimes.
“The bigger clubs in smaller countries, they have similar issues to us in terms of getting a challenge domestically that will take their players to a different level.
“They also have the challenge that big clubs have of getting players to their first team and how they deal with that transitional age between Academy football and first team football.
“Domestically and internationally, we have had a number of clubs phone us and ask about it, ask what we hope to achieve from it and there are a lot of clubs looking to see if it is successful.”
ONLY time will tell whether the new games programme for Graeme Murty’s side will prove to be a lightbulb moment for Rangers, and perhaps Scottish football.
It will see the Light Blues head to Mechelen rather than Motherwell, play in front of crowds at Ibrox rather than just mums and dads against their SPFL peers.
“We don’t know if it will work, but we think it will work and think it is a good idea,” Mulholland said.
“If you take the basic concept of playing against better players, with a different style and in a different environment, you would think that would help you develop players.
“Research suggests if you put players through struggle, they come out of that stronger.
“We need to try something different. If we turn round in 12 months and the improvements haven’t been as significant as we had hoped, we will go down a different route.
“But the one thing we couldn’t do, and I wouldn’t allow, is to repeat the same pattern that we have had for many years because the outputs will be the same.
“We have got a really talented group of players and don’t want them to go down a pathway that won’t develop them.”
When it is time to evaluate the success or failure of the new blueprint come the end of the campaign, the results will speak for themselves.
It will be the characteristics of the players, the experiences gained that will be paramount. The outcome of each game won’t be the be all and end all, but the mentality required to succeed at Ibrox will be honed.
The enthusiasm for fresh thinking cannot be clouded by the fear of defeat. Rangers may lose matches, but they too will be part of the learning process as they attempt to improve physically, mentally, technically and tactically.
“I think they should always be concerned if they get beat,” Mulholland said. “This is a misnomer in our country, we are afraid to talk about winning and losing now.
“People should win and learn how to win. This club has won more trophies than any other club in the world, so winning is in our DNA.
“It used to be winning versus development that people always spoke about, I don’t think it is. It is challenge versus development.
“Might they lose a game? Possibly. Does it mean we want