Say it loud ... and say it proud
Wall of sound at Ibrox means we’re on right track, insists Wallace
AS Lee Wallace felt the decibel levels rise, along with the goosebumps on his arm, it served both as a reminder of the glorious past and a glimpse of a brighter future.
A packed Ibrox had just risen spontaneously to its feet against Peterhead l ast Sunday as the long-suffering rank-and-file made a point of conveying their vocal appreciation of the attacking football on display under new manager Mark Warburton.
It was the kind of noise Wallace had not heard at the ground since the pre-liquidation days, when European football and intoxicating Old Firm derbies were the norm.
In the club’s often-ponderous journey up the leagues under Ally McCoist, i n- f i ghting and poor football saw that intimidating wall of sound at Ibrox replaced by an atmosphere of frustration, anger and dismay.
But ahead of Warburton’s first league match at Ibrox — against St Mirren tonight — Wallace feels Rangers are now ready to entertain in a way he openly admits they failed to do last season.
Fuelled by that unexpected vote of confidence from the fans on Sunday, the Scotland international defender says the players are committed to honouring the vow Warburton has installed above the dressing room that reads: ‘ Send them home happy.’
Wallace said: ‘At 80 minutes into l ast weekend’s game we were creating chance after chance. There was a sustained period of pressure, and the fans made the loudest roar I have ever heard.
‘The supporters were appreciating what they were watching, which is great. It is the return they deserve because they have been starved of any real football.
‘When it happened I got goosebumps. I had experienced it before in the SPL and in Champions League qualifiers, too. It would be great to get that back on a regular basis.
‘There have been bad times over t he past three years, of course, but I have always stood by my decision to stay here. I have kept a positive mindset that we will see this club back at the top.’
If Wallace’s admission that the fans ‘have been starved of any real football’ does not exactly reflect well on McCoist, it did not come across as a dig at his f ormer manager.
But the left-back hopes the new confidence instilled by Warburton and his assistant David Weir will render the club less vulnerable to shocks at grounds l i ke Alloa’s Indodrill Stadium, which proved a baffling bogey ground last season.
‘I will try to stay away from the disappointments of last season as much as I can,’ said Wallace.
‘We are well aware of the tests ahead. We sampled those places last year but it’s about reinforcing this mindset that we are Rangers now. With the greatest of respect to these teams, it’s about imposing our strengths, imposing our tempo and intensity.
‘I’m happy with that approach. We want to send the message out that we are a whole new team.
‘The manager is huge on value on and off the park and the guys he has brought in have provided value. They have quality on the pitch and in the way they conduct themselves off the pitch, too. It has been a good transition, smoother than a lot of folk might have guessed.’
Rangers have not confirmed their captain for the coming season but the long-serving Wallace seems the obvious choice. He has been handed the armband on a temporary basis and insists he’d be happy even if Warburton has only given it to him on a trial basis.
‘I’ve not been told I’m captain but I’ve been honoured to wear the armband in these early games,’ he said. ‘I’ve also had it in seasons gone by when Lee McCulloch was suspended or injured.
‘But those discussions can wait. There are several candidates in that dressing room who could do the job, too, so we’ll just need to wait and see.
‘It might be that I’m on trial and, if so, it will be an honour to try and hold on to the armband.
‘The manager is big on values and professionalism and I’ll certainly be giving it my all, as I would do if I didn’t have the armband.
‘We need to show professionalism and drive and positivity and hunger about where we should be playing our football. We need to take our message on to the pitch and send the fans home happy.’