Murty knows the score
Results will be key in claim to be the new Rangers boss
GRAEME MURTY last night refused to promote his candidacy of landing the Rangers managerial job, insisting his results as caretaker boss should speak loudly for themselves.
The Ibrox side signed off for the international break with a convincing home win over Partick Thistle and the two-week hiatus will give the board a chance to accelerate the process of recruiting a permanent successor to Pedro Caixinha.
While Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes remains the firm favourite, Rangers’ director of football, Mark Allen, is understood to be working on a shortlist, with the name of former England manager Steve McClaren the latest to enter the reckoning this weekend.
Pre-match, Murty admitted that he felt capable of making the step up but was understated after the conclusion of a second consecutive win following last week’s victory over Hearts.
He said: ‘I will never ever shout my attributes or plaudits from the rooftops. But I am a big believer in doing a very good job and allowing the job to speak for itself.’
Murty’s Rangers were in full control against Thistle and took the lead courtesy of a header from defender Ross McCrorie, who scored his first senior goal in the 30th minute.
The 19-year-old had replaced the suspended Bruno Alves for last weekend’s win over Hearts in Edinburgh and Murty revealed he had spoken to the 35-year-old Portugal internationalist to explain why he had left him out yesterday.
‘I spoke to Bruno on Friday morning before I named the team and said that I thought they had done really well (against Hearts)
and deserved the chance to go and do it again,’ he added. ‘He was very respectful, he understood the decision.
‘I am a big believer in dealing with men as men in explaining things to them.
‘Bruno was open and honest with me and, on that basis, I think you can move on.’
McCrorie was full of teenage enthusiasm as he reflected on his first goal for the club, a moment that arrived on the back of some quick thinking between Kenny Miller and Daniel Candeias at a corner.
‘It was an amazing feeling to score and, seeing all the fans celebrate, it was a dream come true for me,’ he said.
‘Murts spoke to me before the game and said he was trusting me. Hopefully, I’ve performed well and showed him what I can do.
‘Bruno also spoke to me. He helps me and so do the other centre-backs like Danny (Wilson) and Fabio (Cardoso).
‘Everyone chips in with bits of information to try and help me develop into a better player.’
Coached by Murty through Rangers’ academy system, McCrorie offered an unsurprising endorsement of the man in interim charge.
‘He has done brilliantly since coming in,’ said McCrorie.
‘He was great with us in the 20s team and when he was previously in charge of the first-team, he also did well.
‘We would definitely support him if he got the job full time.
‘Murts is good talking one to one with players and he’s very good with tactics and shape, stuff like that. He gets his point over to us really well.’
If McCrorie is destined to remember this game for life, Thistle boss Alan Archibald will quickly look to forget a listless performance from his side.
Partick had secured seven points
from the previous nine available but this was a return to the timid form they had shown earlier in the season.
‘The goals we gave away were appalling,’ admitted the manager. ‘We have had two good clean sheets in the last two games but the first and the third (goals) were individual errors.
‘Coming to Ibrox you need to make Rangers work for their goals, and we didn’t.
‘We won’t let the heads go down and it’s very important that we don’t let that (poor) defending creep back in.
‘Our decision-making has to be better for when we return after the international break for the game against Hearts.’
There was one plus for Archibald in the return to action of midfielder Gary Fraser after a couple of injuryravaged seasons.
‘Seeing Gary back is probably the only positive to take from the game,’ he added. ‘To get him back out there and let him run about for that last 20 minutes was great.’