THIN BLUE LINE
Garner is the expensively purchased striker who has created more havoc than chances in a troubled first season at Ibrox, but McCoist urges him to channel his energy because it’s a...
IMAGES of Gregor Stevens, Terry Hurlock and Duncan Ferguson hang in the rogues’ gallery of Ally McCoist team-mates whose commitment to aggression carved them a place among football’s most feared hard men. Joe Garner’s habit of haring around the pitch looking for victims — and frequently connecting with them in brutal fashion — is rapidly threatening to match the regular antics of those bruising characters of previous Rangers eras.
Dougie Imrie infamously described the foul on him at Ibrox three weeks ago as from the UFC cage fighting arena, while colleague Georgios Sarris wondered aloud how Garner could sleep at night after some of the dangerous acts committed on his fellow professionals.
McCoist, who watched that William Hill Scottish Cup tie in which Garner went on to escape a dismissal and net a hat-trick, might euphemistically settle for ‘outdated’ as one description of the Englishman’s style.
For the Rangers striking great and former manager believes the 28-year-old forward does need to rein By Fraser Mackie in some of the over-the-top activities in order to become an effective part of a new Ibrox set-up under Pedro Caixinha, whose side host Motherwell when they return to league duty next Saturday. When asked if he had ever played alongside anybody as aggressive at Garner, McCoist said: ‘Oh aye. Absolutely. I played with boys when you were allowed to be aggressive. Big Duncan (Ferguson) was aggressive. Mark Hateley was quite aggressive. Gregor Stevens had his moments. Terry Hurlock. I certainly played with a few boys that were able to handle themselves. ‘You can’t do it nowadays. The game has changed. You are not allowed to do it. With someone like Garner, there’s a thin
line that you obviously can’t cross. But if you take that away from him, you take away from his game.So it’s very important that he gets the balance right for him and the team.
‘Play your normal game but don’t step over the mark because you’re no good to anybody sitting in the stand.
‘I watched that game against Hamilton and it’s fair to say he was slightly fortunate to stay on th park.’
Garner has collected as many bookings (seven) as goals in a Rangers jersey since moving from Preston for £1.8million as Mark Warburton spent big on the Championship striker.
However, he has been fortunate not to see red on occasions and his scoring total is considerably boosted by three in that one game against Accies.
Part of the solution to the Garner puzzle, according to McCoist, would be for Rangers to ensure he is more occupied with chances in the opposition
The game has changed. You can’t get away with it now
box than chasing lost causes and trouble.
Andrew Davies spoke of the striker not being utilised properly by Warburton in Scotland after his Ross County side secured a third draw of the season with Rangers last month.
Described as ‘entrenched in 4-4-2’ from a decade down south by previous manager Warburton, he was a curious choice to be a banker scorer — at that transfer fee — in a 4-3-3 formation and the player admitted plenty adjustment and work was required for him to adapt.
When asked what advice he would impart now, McCoist said: ‘I’d be telling the rest of the boys to get the ball in the box for Joe to attack and I would tell him to make sure he doesn’t step over the line.
‘I just hope that the goals against Hamilton help him because he hasn’t been totally firing. But the hat-trick and scoring goals will clearly help him. Celtic’s signing across the road being on fire hasn’t helped things either.
‘Centre-forwards need to get balls in the box and they need to create chances. I am not sure he was getting those earlier in the season. He’s clearly aggressive but he likes to position himself for a finish. To do that, you’ve got to get the ball in the box.’