Graeme may be a dark horse but he will not bolt from his stable
GRAEME MURTY is not of a mind to satisfy his managerial ambitions elsewhere if passed over for the Rangers job.
The caretaker boss has warmed to the idea of being regarded a contender for the permanent post since his promotion for a second short spell as manager.
His emergence as a popular backup option is a stark contrast to the post-Mark Warburton period in charge when, from day one as interim, he stressed he didn’t possess the pedigree to be considered.
The 42-year-old being comfortable at having his name thrown into the mix for such a huge job does not, however, mean he has a burning desire to manage in his own right — for now.
If, as is likely, Rangers secure one of the names on the shortlist being assembled by director of football Mark Allen then Murty will return to being head development squad coach.
‘I’ve been thinking about that one for a while,’ said Murty when asked if he would leave Rangers if his impressive interim work attracted No 1 offers with another club.
‘Not at the moment. At the moment, I’m in possibly the best learning environment that I’ve been in — personally and professionally — so that wouldn’t be something I would be thinking about.
‘If the board ask someone else to come in, and I was to go back to the 20s, I wouldn’t think about that at the moment, no. At this moment in time I have far too much on my plate prepping for this week. But were I to go back to the 20s, I have a fantastic project there that I can get my teeth into. And this learning experience and this learning environment, at this moment, is too good to turn down.’
Murty and his colleagues have undertaken a new games programme of facing elite English and European counterparts rather than contest the SPFL Development League for 2017/18.
Brendan Rodgers, youth team coach at Reading when Murty was captain of the Royals, has given homegrown talent its place to flourish at the very top level for Celtic.
Ultimately, that’s where Rangers hope their youth projects will peak at in seasons to come as they play catch-up with their old rivals following damaging years of structural neglect.
‘Our aim is to have a strong academy producing players who are capable of challenging for the top honours in Scotland and in Europe,’ said Murty. ‘That is why the 20s this season are experiencing a different programme from anything we’ve previously had. Potentially that is how we make up ground.
‘But however we do it, the club is structured, geared and driving towards making that gap nonexistent. We want to be challenging right at the top and experiencing some fantastic European nights.
‘The players have an opportunity. All I see at the moment is potential and a pathway that is there for them to go and play in the Rangers first-team as a player.
‘If the player is good enough, driven enough, hungry enough, that is what they have to be. The bottom line is that they won’t get any special dispensation because they are homegrown. They will get special dispensation if they are good, good players, and that’s what they have to be first and foremost.’ In the meantime, Murty’s first team will play a closed-doors game next week while Lee Hodson, Ryan Jack and Under21 pair Ryan Hardie and Ross McCrorie are on international duty. Jack’s call-up caused surprise after the start of his Rangers career was blighted by three red cards, two of which were rescinded on appeal.
However, the former Aberdeen man was a right-back for much of his national outings at lower age groups and that’s an option Malky Mackay could explore against Holland on Thursday.
‘I think Ryan is a clever footballer with a number of outstanding weapons that he can deploy,’ said Murty.
‘Whoever uses him, what they’ll get is great effort, great intensity, great concentration.
‘More than anything I think he’s someone you can give tactical instructions to and see it deployed at a high level. That’s something that impressed me from the get-go. Since I’ve watched him work he’s been a fantastic professional. He’s been very open, very vocal as well. He’s got an opinion.
‘This is the next logical step in his progression — to go and be fantastic for the national team. Hopefully he enjoys the experience.’