Trophies the target as Jack keeps on thriving
PLAUDITS have become familiar to Ryan Jack during a year in which his performances have scaled new heights.
Exemplary form earned him a contract extension at Rangers, his second in the space of ten months, and a Scotland recall in his preferred central midfield role. He even topped a recent poll for membership of Aberdeen’s team of the decade after Ibrox fans mischievously hijacked the ballot to promote a player who is now utterly indispensable to Steven Gerrard.
The latter accolade prompts a smile from Jack given the booing that greets his every return to Pittodrie this days. Otherwise, though, he is deadly serious about not falling victim to praise.
For all that 2019 has delivered success in terms of his impressive personal development, Jack is unlikely to reflect on it with excessive amounts of misty-eyed wonder. He is of the firm belief that medals are the true measurement of achievement if you are under employment at Rangers.
Signing off with two positive results against Kilmarnock this afternoon and Celtic on Sunday is therefore all that will occupy his mind for the remainder of December. After that, Jack hopes flipping the calendar can see Gerrard’s side build decisively on a campaign of significant promise.
‘I am obviously pleased but the main thing is that the team is doing well,’ said the 27-year-old, when asked about his contribution.
‘If you are playing well, that means the team is doing well so I am happy.
‘I have always said that I haven’t achieved anything yet and there is a long way to go this season, so hopefully 2020 will be a big year.
‘I think it is more about not getting carried away. We have been doing well as a team and, personally, I have done well but there is a long way to go, a lot more still to achieve and a lot more to come. We have to keep doing what we are doing.’
Jack is now in his third season as a Rangers player after moving south when his Aberdeen contract expired.
Given the enmity that caused, the former Dons captain was tickled by the surge of votes to have his input at Pittodrie honoured.
‘I don’t think that will go down too well, to be honest!’ he grinned. ‘I had a laugh, I got sent it from a couple of friends. I had a chuckle.’
While Aberdeen fans will doubtless continue to love to hate him, Jack has won numerous admirers for the influence he now exerts on Rangers.
Five goals have been added this term by a midfielder who was previously viewed as primarily defensive. Now the embodiment of a box-to-box operator, he retains the aggressive streak that was always a hallmark of his game.
Channelling it the right way is key. Jack received two bookings in this month’s Europa League meeting with Young Boys, meaning he will be banned for the last-32 first leg against Braga, but his disciplinary record is much-changed from the four red cards in five months that marked his Ibrox introduction under Pedro Caixinha.
He fully accepts an alteration in approach was required under the modern interpretation of the rules.
Hibs defender Ryan Porteous was ordered off for a wild challenge against Borna Barisic last Friday night before Aberdeen striker Sam Cosgrove then saw red at Celtic Park for flying into Kristoffer Ajer the following afternoon.
‘I think nowadays if you are going to go in for a tackle, you need to time in perfectly,’ said Jack. ‘There is no doubt that if you don’t then nowadays it is a straight red. It is all about the timing of the tackle.
‘The Cosgrove one, I have seen it back and it is about the speed that he goes in at. For me, he wins the ball and you don’t see him catching much of the player.
‘The Porteous one, he catches Borna quite high up so they are two different challenges. Porteous takes the ball but the follow-through catches Borna and it’s high up. It’s a bad challenge and the ref did his job by sending him off.
‘I have had a few red cards myself for a few bad tackles over the years but you need to learn from it.’
The Rangers bench reacted furiously to the Porteous tackle, with technical coach Tom Culshaw sent to the stand.
‘We are all passionate and we are all in it together so as soon as there is a bad tackle on one of the players, it’s not nice to see,’ added Jack.
‘I’m sure the lads would all back each other up and the staff are no different.’
Jack was delighted with the control Rangers enjoyed in Leith and revealed Gerrard had perfectly predicted how Hibs would line up.
‘With Jack Ross coming in, they’ve had a couple of good results so we knew it would be a tough game,’ he reflected.
‘But we had worked all week on a plan and the way Hibs set up played right into our hands. I thought we were excellent.’
I won’t get carried away. I have not achieved anything yet