Good impressions key for Murty in bid to rebuild Rangers
GRAEME MURTY, the Rangers caretaker manager, believes his side have a lot to work on if they are to move forward under his guidance.
Rangers beat Morton 2-1 in the Scottish Cup fifth round at Ibrox on Sunday as Murty took charge of the team just hours after Mark Warburton’s departure. Assistant manager David Weir and Frank McParland also left the club and the Ibrox board have started their search for the new coaching team.
Murty is likely to remain in charge for the Premiership fixture with Dundee this weekend and the 42-year-old is eager to make a positive impression as he attempts to transform Rangers’ fortunes in the Premiership.
“I was pleased with their attitude. I was pleased with the way they handled themselves because it is not easy and your head is all over the place,” he said. “It is difficult to try and please a new manager, even though consciously you’re not doing it you’re just playing the game but subconsciously you are always looking at what does he want? What is he after?
“But I thought they got past that bit and got past a really challenging start when we conceded the goal and I have just shown them in analysis that there were some really good bits of play, we just didn’t sustain it.
“The difference between our good the Premiership standings and 27 points adrift of Celtic.
Now Warburton, Weir and McParland have paid tribute to supporters after they headed for the Ibrox exit door after fewer than two years in charge.
The statement continued: “For all three of us, it was an absolute privilege to be given the opportunity to work at a club that is so rich in tradition and history. It was an honour to be given the responsibility bits and where we want to improve are a bit stark at the moment – well they were on Sunday. We have talked about portioning those things up and I have come away from the analysis with a really positive outlook on it and I hope they have as well.
“We have sat down and the thing I have really enjoyed the most was the players’ engagement. They have really been honest and open and really engaged with what we have done. I want to thank them because it has made my transitional bit easier, it could have been really awkward but they made sure it wasn’t.”
Rangers will make the trip to Dens Park in third place in the Premiership standings after dropping five points in Warburton’s final matches in charge against Hearts and Ross County. The club are 27 points adrift of Celtic after an erratic campaign that has seen performance levels and results fluctuate.
It was a whirlwind weekend for Murty as he stepped into the first team dugout for the first time but the Under-20 boss was pleased with his managerial bow as goals from Kenny Miller and Martyn Waghorn clinched a quarter-final berth.
“It was challenging, it was stretching but it was really enjoyable,” he told RangersTV. “I am really grateful to the board for giving me the trust and I am really conscious that we need to make steps forward.” of returning the club to the top tier of Scottish football and we are very proud to have played our part in successfully securing promotion back to the Scottish Premiership. Winning the Petrofac Scottish Challenge Cup and beating Celtic, in a memorable semi-final to reach the Scottish Cup final, are experiences we will never forget.
“We sincerely thank the Rangers fans for their unwavering passion and dedication.”