Loan Ranger Hyndman on a mission to help the cause
EMERSON HYNDMAN insists he feels as committed to the Rangers cause as any of the club’s permanent signings.
While interim manager Graeme Murty said on Wednesday the Ibrox side’s stars are playing for their futures, the on-loan Bournemouth midfielder is already safe in the knowledge he is signed up at the south-coast side until the summer of 2020.
The 20-year-old from Dallas has made a good start to life at Ibrox, even in a spell in which Rangers have won just one of their past six matches in the league, and insists his loan status doesn’t alter the responsibility he feels when it comes to attempting to catch Aberdeen in second place and winning the Scottish Cup.
“You have to feel a responsibility when you play here,” said Hyndman, ahead of tonight’s visit to the Highlands to take on Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
“There is so much history and the fans are so close to the club. You feel the disappointment yourself as a player, but when you feel it from the fans and everyone else around you as well, it really sinks in. Even when you come into the training ground, the staff are disappointed.
“It’s about getting the balance right between feeling that disappointment and trying to bounce back. We’ve gone through the disappointment phase now and we are looking to fight our way to really improve.”
While Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe originally sent Hyndman north of the Border in the care of Mark Warburton, he spoke recently to confirm that he was content to leave him at the club under the charge of interim boss Murty. Hyndman, too, is happy continuing his development even amid such a maelstrom.
“I’m happy to be here,” the US international said. “I knew I’d joined a massive club and there is always going to be pressure, no matter what. He [Howe] is still really calm about the situation. He sent me here to play football. He knew Mark Warburton and sent me to him at first, but he’s happy with the way it’s gone. He’s very comfortable with it all.
“It doesn’t worry me, as long as I can try to help the team,” he added. “It’s a challenge for all the players, to step up. Because that’s what we have to do. If we perform consistently like we did at Dundee, then it’s not good. If you go 1-0 down every game, you have to change something. It’s not just me who has to step up. Everyone has to step up as a team, take the criticism, handle it and produce something.”