Middleton is aiming to get back on top for New Year
GLENN MIDDLETON has set his team-mates the target of taking a full nine points from three huge games in six days — and proving Rangers really are ready to make a charge for the title.
The pacy winger, who celebrates his 19th birthday on New Year’s Day, plans to enter the winter break top of the table thanks to wins over St Johnstone, Hibernian and Celtic and insists everyone at the club must understand the need to start bringing major silverware back to Ibrox quickly.
‘Of course that’s the target,’ he stated. ‘That’s what this football club is about — being at the top of the table and challenging. We’re all desperate for it to happen.
‘Everyone wants to be there (at the top). It is what you are here to do — to win trophies and be successful as a team.’
And Middleton is clear when asked what is needed to get the side back in pole position. ‘Sticking together, being there for each other and getting nine points at the end of the next three games,’ he said.
Assistant manager Gary McAllister, meanwhile, has branded today’s visit to St Johnstone as every bit as important as Saturday’s Old Firm showdown at Ibrox.
‘This is as big as the one on the 29th,’ he said. ‘There is no doubt about that.’
STEVEN GERRARD was unequivocal. Following last weekend’s home win over Hamilton, the Rangers manager declared himself ‘not interested’ in the fact his side had returned to the top of the Premiership table. From his point of view, lording it over the rest of the league means nothing when a simple lack of killer instinct sends you tumbling back into second place after drawing 0-0 at Hibernian three days later.
Whether down to the impetuosity of youth or not, the youngest member of the one-time Champions League winner’s dressing room begs to differ.
He sees huge worth in getting back into pole position at some point over the course of this week and knows three wins over St Johnstone, Hibs and Celtic will be enough to achieve that.
For Glenn Middleton, performing under pressure is what being a Rangers player should be about. And the 18-year-old believes that putting themselves into a position where they are the team to be shot at after the winter break will help bring the improvements in sharpness and efficiency the coaching team are demanding.
The Scotland Under-21 winger admits to being encouraged and frustrated by the fact that Rangers have been in first place twice this season only to slip up in their following fixture — but he refuses to go along with the view that actual league standings mean relatively little with such a long road still ahead in the title race.
‘Being top gives you that little bit of motivation going into every game — knowing that people want to beat you and you need to beat them to stay at the top,’ said Middleton, who celebrates his 19th birthday on New Year’s Day. ‘It helps you kick on.
‘We have to hold our hands up for not staying there longer, but there’s a long way to go in the season and we know what we want to achieve.
‘Everyone wants to be there (at the top). It is what you are here to do — to win trophies and be successful as a team. That is what we want.’
Given the chaos Gerrard inherited following the disastrous reign of Pedro Caixinha and the surgery performed on the squad, most Rangers fans would still be content as long as this term delivered clear progress and a second-place finish.
Middleton, though, believes there is evidence to suggest the season can deliver a concrete challenge for silverware.
‘I definitely think we’ve proved people wrong,’ he added. ‘We are answering questions every week.
‘Different teams are coming up against us and showing us different challenges, but we’ve shown we can compete with everything that has been thrown at us.
‘We’re confident in ourselves and in the team that we can overcome most challenges. We’ve shown that already this season.’
What they do need to find, however, is the accuracy in front of goal that Gerrard has demanded. When Rangers beat St Johnstone 5-1 at Ibrox back in September, five different players found the net — James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield, Kyle Lafferty and Daniel Candeias. They have managed a total of just four from their last seven games in all competitions. They spurned chance after chance at Easter Road last Wednesday. In this week of all weeks, they must start putting the ball in the back of net. Assistant manager Gary McAllister accepts that point, but believes the pressure Rangers exerted on the Hibs goal in midweek — they had 19 shots and eight on target — pointed to a team that will get back into the scoring habit before long.
‘We must trust what we’re doing. I can feel the goals are there,’ said McAllister. ‘You go a couple of games without scoring as many as you think you should have, so there’s maybe that urgency to try to make sure rather than relaxing and trusting yourself.
‘I don’t think the goals will be a problem if we keep doing what we’re doing.’
St Johnstone are likely to provide a stern test today. They have always been well organised under Tommy Wright, but summer signings such as Matty Kennedy and Tony Watt have given them greater zest in attack and McAllister makes no secret of his admiration for the Northern Irishman’s work in Perth.
‘Prior to coming to Rangers and looking from afar, it has always amazed me how well Tommy has
Everyone wants to be at the top. It’s what we are here to do — to win trophies and be successful
done,’ said the former Scotland captain. ‘I’d imagine there isn’t a great deal of money to recruit, but he keeps managing it.
‘I watched them earlier in the season and they started poorly but, from the 6-0 loss to Celtic, they’ve been fantastic.
‘Barring the result against Motherwell, he’s done amazing.
‘The work he’s done from that Celtic result and the effect that must have had on his players, to get the reaction he’s had, it’s testament to the guy.’ Middleton (left) has come off the subs’ bench in Rangers’ last two games, but he will hope for the call against St Johnstone at the start of this important spell of six days. Big things are sure to be asked of Gerrard’s players in the three matches ahead. Middleton, as you might expect, is ready. ‘Those are the demands placed on you when you are playing for this club,’ he said. ‘You need to respond.’