MIND GAMES
Murty tells players to believe as Rangers step up pursuit of McInnes
GRAEME MURTY insists the new Rangers manager will inherit a squad high in quality but lacking in self-belief.
Murty’s final game in temporary charge will be against Aberdeen tomorrow, with the Ibrox board expected to make their move for Dons boss Derek McInnes following the back-to-back clashes between the two sides.
A convincing 3-0 win for Rangers on Wednesday illustrated a lack of consistency this season, highlighted by defeats to Dundee and Hamilton.
And Murty said: ‘I tell you every time I come in that I see a level of performance and ability in the squad but training doesn’t matter.
‘You have to go and put it into a performance and you can’t just do it in one game. You’ve got to do it over and over and over again in a relentless manner.
‘If we can do that, then great and if they can’t, then I’m sure there will be changes.
‘But it will only come in the future because I’ve told you every day I see the level these guys train at, I’ve seen what they are capable of. I just don’t know whether they believe in themselves enough.’
Asked why a group of professionals could be ridden with such self-doubt, Murty said: ‘Possibly because every single person questions them on it.
‘There is a level of expectation at this football club. Everyone
expects us to be top two and that is fine.
‘I have said all along that when things don’t go our way, it is really easy to damage confidence and self-belief but what we have to do is support the players.
‘It is about supporting them and putting them in as good a place as possible to go and perform.
‘It is our job to support them when things are going well — and when things aren’t going well we need to reiterate what they are great at and give them a foundation to work from.’
McInnes has dismissed any suggestion that speculation surrounding his possible move to Rangers has anything to do with Aberdeen’s worst run of results in the Premiership this year.
He had become so irked by the constant speculation and the impact it was having on his players that he attempted to quash the rumours last week and reiterated the comments of chairman Stewart Milne that he is happy at Pittodrie.
But he remains Rangers’ top target and said: ‘It’s an easy thing to say and it may be a reason but I don’t see it that way.
‘We are professionals and we just get on with the job. I think the players would admit themselves that nothing has changed in my preparations for matches.
‘I think we have had a good strong win at Kilmarnock, which was a far more Aberdeen-like performance on the road.
‘We had ten wins and two draws up until Wednesday night away from home this season, so consistency has been there.
‘But I get that losing to Motherwell at Pittodrie then losing away to Rangers means I can understand why people might assume that. I don’t see that myself, though.’
The Aberdeen manager admits that another showdown with Rangers might not be the best prospect after what happened when the pair met for the first time this season in midweek.
That 3-0 defeat was a chastening experience for him and his players but Aberdeen faced a similar problem just days after losing by the same scoreline at Motherwell in the Betfred Cup in September and recovered in style.
Now McInnes is demanding a similar response in what could well turn out to be his last match in charge of the Pittodrie club.
‘We came away from losing at Motherwell in the League Cup on the Thursday night and probably the last thing anyone wanted to do was to go back to Fir Park on the Sunday,’ he said.
‘In hindsight, it was the perfect antidote in terms of what was required as we came back up the road with a win in the league.
‘We would be happy to have a game against anyone after what happened at Ibrox but the fact that it’s against Rangers again means it can be a similar outcome to what we did against Motherwell.
‘We have an idea how we want to play and it has to be a lot better than we did the other night.
‘We all take responsibility for the outcome at Ibrox. We set the team up to give us the best chance to win. But it is up to the players to match runs, win individual battles, get on top of your direct opponent and win headers.
‘In the initial period, we were second best in all departments, which gave Rangers a lift after giving the referee an easy decision to give them a penalty.
‘That got their tails up, so we are aware that criticism comes when you don’t win games at this club.’
Ryan Jack returns to Pittodrie for the first time in a Rangers jersey, having been roundly booed by fans of his former club when he played there for Scotland against Holland last month.
And Murty feels the midfielder will be untroubled by any more flack heading his way — believing a greater level of opprobrium will only mean his player is performing to his best.
‘I think he can cope with it,’ said Murty. ‘I think he can handle it and I think the level of their response to Ryan will depend on our performance.
‘If we’re doing particularly well, I’m sure he’ll get more and more stick. If he gets a lot of stick, it possibly means we are doing well.
‘I’m sure he won’t mind a bit as long as we come away with a positive result.’
McInnes will be forced into changes for the visit of Rangers as Ryan Christie is suspended after being sent off in Wednesday’s defeat.
Gary Mackay-Steven and Greg Tansey are unlikely to play either as they are struggling with calf muscle and groin injuries respectively.
Meanwhile, Rangers will seek fresh investment through a new share issue early next year after the resolution proposing the move was backed at the AGM.
Resolution 11 needed 75-per-cent approval at Thursday’s meeting and, after it narrowly failed to go through last year, it received 78.3 per cent of the vote.
The resolution allows the board to offer new shares to investors as well as turn soft loans into equity.