IT’S PAIN FOR BIG GAINS

marriages, Halliday is adamant the players are happy to put in the hours in search of a successful end to the season. Caixinha still harbours hope of catching Aberdeen in second place in the Premiership, while the Old Firm Scottish Cup semi-final on April 23 provides a chance to undermine their rivals’ dominance. ‘We are in an extra day because the day off on the Wednesday has been scrapped,’ confirmed Halliday. ‘But I do really think the boys have enjoyed it. ‘The manager has been delighted with the way we have trained and the intensity of the sessions. If you are not putting in the effort he wants, he will certainly tell you about it. ‘The Tuesday is very physical and

when he brings us in on a Wednesday, it is really just a recovery day. ‘He just wants us to gel as a group of players and get to know the staff a bit better. ‘It has been well documented we have had quite a lot of poor results this season. ‘The new manager wants to get that winning mentality back.’ Asked how families were reacting to the end of a Wednesday off, Halliday quipped: ‘I think there might be a few divorces! The demand is one of the changes made and it’s been refreshing. ‘We have an extra double session on a Tuesday. You enjoy working hard, though. It’s been a very positive first couple of weeks and hopefully that can continue.’ Halliday admits the possibility of ending Celtic’s Treble chances offered additional motivation as Rangers seek to make it back to the Scottish Cup final, following last season’s defeat to Hibernian. ‘If it doesn’t give you that extra onus to try to stop that, then you are at the wrong club,’ he added. ‘Celtic have had a fantastic season but it’s important that we know we have the opportunity to stop that. ‘They will want to preserve their unbeaten run and get the Treble. It’s up to us to try to prevent it. ‘From our point of view, we had a good year last season but if we are all admitting it, we never really won what you would call a “Rangers trophy”. ‘So it’s our last chance this season to try to put that right.’