Murty insists there’s still room for improvement
Graeme Murty insists it wouldn’t be bizarre were he to lead Rangers to Scottish Cup glory yet still not land the manager’s job on a permanent basis.
The 43- year- old already has the post until the summer, thanks to his efforts in more than stabilising the team’s fortunes since the departure of Pedro Caixinha.
The Light Blues head into today’s Scottish Cup quarter- final against Falkirk on the back of five wins on the spin, a run which makes them arguably the form team in the country.
Celtic’s six- point ( plus a game in hand) lead at the top of the Premiership might be too much to overhaul but surely Murty would find it strange to secure a Cup win and not land an extended job offer.
“No, that’s just football. That’s just the way it is,” he said. “These things happen in football. The measure of what we are trying to do is where we end up.
“Not only the progress we have made as a squad but as a football club.
“Are we getting closer to where we want to be? Are we moving the brand further on?
“I think we are. But I keep reiterating, we are not there yet.
“And for all the positive feeling around the club at the moment – which is great and we want to enjoy – we still want to get better.”
“This is not where we want to be.
“We still have a big, big game against Falkirk. We have the Old Firm game coming up, we have the split in the league, we have the semi-finals and Final of the Cup yet to be contested and there’s lots of football to be played.
“We don’t want where we currently are to be as well as we have done. I don’t want to get pats on the back now.
“We want to accelerate and move forward from here. We have put ourselves in a good position – not a great one – and it is our job to enhance our position.”
Recognition comes in many forms. When new Scotland manager Alex Mcleish names his squad on Wednesday for the friendlies against Costa Rica and Hungary, the Rangers boss hopes it will include a decent representation from his group.
“I would hope to have guys in there,” said Murty. “We have some players who are in good form, playing for a good club. But we can’t control that.
“I would suggest to the players that we take care of our business, and let Scotland and the new manager come to them rather than be expectant of anything.
“I always thought that was the best way as a player to be – not to expect anything, just to be grateful if it came along.”
It is a stance which could equally be applied to his own future as a manager.