McCrorie reveals he left Ibrox for the ‘good of his career’
Morton and Raith Rovers rebuke Levein’s allegation
NEW Aberdeen signing Ross McCrorie admitted he had to leave his beloved Rangers for the sake of his career.
The midfielder was hailed as a future Ibrox great by former boss Pedro Caixinha after being handed his first-team debut in September 2017.
Current manager Steven Gerrard also spoke about the Scotland Under-21 international with excitement when he took over a year later.
But, despite playing a major role during the former Liverpool skipper’s maiden term in the Light Blues’ hot seat, McCrorie more recently found himself languishing beneath Ryan Jack, Steven Davis, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and Scott Arfield in Gerrard’s midfield pecking order.
Now aged 22 and having spent last year on loan at Portsmouth, the boyhood Rangers supporter admitted he has no further time to waste as he aims to relaunch his career at Pittodrie under Derek McInnes’ tutelage.
McCrorie – who initially joins the Dons on a season-long loan but has agreed a three-year contract which will begin when he makes his switch permanent next summer – told RedsTV: “I feel at the age I am at I just want to be playing regular firstteam football.
“That’s why I told Rangers I wanted to leave. It’s for the good of my career that I had to leave, to develop as a player. I feel Aberdeen is the right place for me to improve myself.
“Aberdeen is a massive club, so I was flattered when I heard the club was interested in me. I spoke to the gaffer and when he explained about the ambition here, that made it a no-brainer.
“I’m really happy that I will join on a permanent deal after this season. It’s a huge club. There’s a lot of history around with the club’s success in European football as well.
“Everything that the gaffer said was right for me and I felt immediately as if this was the place for me to come and move my game on. I’ve played against Aberdeen in the past and what I liked about the gaffer is that he knew exactly how I played.
“I can play a few different positions, but I am more or less a centre midfielder. Last season I was at Portsmouth and I played right-back down there. At Rangers, over the last couple of seasons I have played in centre midfield. Being able to play a few different positions can help out the team and the gaffer and it gives him a few different options.”
McCrorie was unable to end Rangers’ nine-year wait for major honours during his Ibrox days but hopes to finally get his hands on a first winners’ medal with the Dons.
“I have been used to playing under the pressure and expectations of supporters and I think I thrive on it,” he said.
“The expectation is really high at Aberdeen, you are expected to be up there challenging. I want to help the team out as best as I can and win a few trophies on the way.”
McCrorie is available for Thursday’s rearranged trip to St Johnstone – but it is Sunday’s Pittodrie clash with Livingston and twin brother Robby which is already jumping off the fixture list.
“I don’t think we have ever played against each other at any level as we have always grown up together in the same team,” he said. “So if we both play on Sunday, it could be the first time that we have played against each other.”
MORTON and Raith Rovers have reacted with anger after Craig Levein accused the Championship clubs of conspiring to sabotage Hearts’ return to training.
The Jambos, who began their pre-season on August 3, have been forced to halt preparations until next Monday following a
DREY WRIGHT is confident he will be fit for Hibs’ trip to face old club St Johnstone this weekend. The summer signing started the opening-day clash with Kilmarnock but has been sidelined since that 2-1 victory because of a thigh strain.
The 25-year-old admits being unable to “hit the ground running” at Easter Road has been frustrating as his new team have taken 10 points from a possible 12 to sit joint top of the Premiership with Rangers.
But the former Colchester United attacker confesses he is desperate to prove his fitness for Sunday’s clash in Perth.
He said: “I picked up a little thigh strain and had it scanned just after the Kilmarnock game, on the Tuesday.
“It was only going to be a couple of weeks out, so I missed two weeks of training, which is frustrating coming into a new club.
“You want to hit the ground running, so it’s been frustrating in that respect to have been a bit stop-start.
“But I felt I needed to come off it, because I had been feeling it for a while and I wasn’t doing myself or the team any favours.
“But I’m looking to get back into training this week to get ready for Sunday’s game.
“Hopefully I’ll be ready, that’s the plan. It’s not a game I want to miss out on. I’ve been working hard with the physios and ticking every box they’re throwing at me at the minute.
“So, the plan is to get training and be ready for the game.”
Wright’s two years at McDiarmid Park were seriously hampered by cruciate knee ligament damage that kept him out of action for over nine months.
But he still made a big enough impression that then manager Tommy Wright praised him as one of the most gifted players he had worked with.
With Callum Davidson having taken over at Saints diktat from Scottish football’s Joint Response Group.
No team below the Premiership is allowed to train until August 24 in the aftermath of high-profile breaches of Covid-19 safety protocols by the “Aberdeen 8” and Celtic defender Boli Bolingoli.
Hearts are furious that, despite complying to the same precautions as top-flight sides, this summer, Wright is predicting a tough encounter with his former employers, but he is convinced it is one Hibs can win.
He added: “For them, I think it’s kind of a case of ‘if it’s not broken don’t fix it’. St Johnstone have had that success in recent years and especially in Tommy’s spell.
“Callum said when he came into the job he wasn’t going to change too much, just put his own little stamp on things.
“A change of shape is the main one I’ve noticed. They’ve they have been included in the ban.
And former Tynecastle boss Levein – who ironically had a spell in charge of the Kirkcaldy outfit – suggested that Hearts have suffered due to complaints from Morton and Rovers.
Levein said on BBC Scotland’s Sportsound: “I didn’t realise that a couple of teams had actually complained to the SFA that Hearts had had an unfair advantage.
“I believe it was Morton and Raith. Those teams also had the opportunity to start training two weeks ago, but they didn’t want to.
“What they wanted to do was keep their players on furlough because they wouldn’t spend money. How can this be fair?
Those comments sparked a furious reaction from Greenock outfit yesterday.
Morton confirmed that they have contacted BBC Scotland and have requested “that the broadcaster addresses this issue as a matter of course”.
They said “We can categorically state that no such complaint was ever despatched from us to the SFA”. Raith also denied the allegation. the