LEWIS VOWS TO KEEP CALM IN A STORM
AS A very uncivil civil war continues to rage around Ibrox, the Rangers dressing room, by contrast, remains a harmonious oasis of calm. And, as far as young midfielder Lewis Macleod is concerned, the chaos off the park and the cohesion on it are not entirely unrelated. Keenly aware of the power struggles ahead of this month’s annual general meeting, the teenager has felt the best course of action is to block out the constant in-fighting behind the scenes. The Scotland Under-21 international believes that rather than being dragged down by the relentlessly depressing dispatches from the frontlines of the boardroom battle, he and his team-mates have been bonded together in adversity. ‘You’ve got to block out everything that’s happening off the pitch — and that’s what we’ve done,’ said the 19-year-old. ‘We know we can’t have any impact on what happens there. We know we can only influence what happens out there on the pitch when we are playing. ‘So we just need to ignore all that stuff.’ Macleod’s worth to McCoist is reflected in the decision by Rangers to call off tomorrow’s League One match with Dunfermline due to international call-ups. Lee Wallace is in the Scotland squad, Andy Little on Northern Ireland duty, while Arnold Peralta is away with his native Honduras. And Macleod’s inclusion in that group of players McCoist would rather have free to face the Pars has left the youngster delighted. He is now looking to get Scotland back to winning ways after losing 6-0 to England and 4-0 in Holland. ‘I don’t know how the postponement came about or who decided that, but I’m happy because I won’t miss a (Rangers) game now,’ he said ahead of tonight’s match with Slovakia in Paisley and Monday’s trip to face Georgia. ‘I’m keen to be involved in them all. But it’s always good to get away with your country and play against better opposition. ‘Against Slovakia, we are just looking to put on a good display and get the three points.’