I love the pressure but I Cant stand the cup pain
Todd wants to win so was hurting after Hampden loss
He has only been in the door for six weeks. But it hasn’t taken long for Todd Cantwell to realise exactly what’s required at Rangers.
And after tasting an Old Firm defeat for the first time, he says he felt the pain as much as anyone in Michael Beale’s dressing-room.
The 25-year-old playmaker is new to life in Glasgow after arriving from Norwich City in the January window.
But Cantwell is already up to speed with how it works in the city.
His only loss so far came at the hands of Celtic last month in the Viaplay Cup Final at Hampden.
And with Gers still trailing their bitter rivals at the top of the Premiership, Beale and his players are under the microscope.
Today at Ibrox, anything other than a win over Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup quarter-final is unthinkable.
And Cantwell wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Englishman was sold a vision by Beale before he left Carrow Road for Govan.
That was to get Rangers back on top and winning silverware again.
He bought into it and is relishing his new pressure-pot environment.
As he prepared to face the Championship side this afternoon, he said: “I’m not so into the off-the-pitch stuff.
“I’m here for a reason, to win things and concentrate on what matters.
“Obviously, the cup final didn’t go to plan but there’s a project here and I think we’re building towards something.
“I definitely think this squad have the mentality to win things.
“I can only go off what I’ve seen since I’ve been here.
“I really believe it. I saw the hurt in the players and felt it as well after Hampden.
“I’d only been here a month but it really opened my eyes to how much it means and how important it is for Rangers and the players.
“It definitely shows how intense it is.
“But the important thing as a team and individuals is just to concentrate on ourselves.
“We can’t get too distracted by what’s in the future.
“We have to attack every game now and continue to take steps in the r ight direction. The building blocks to move forward will be what we do this season.
“We have to keep buying into it. We can’t get bored. We can’t get tired or sloppy.
“Winning cups is the reason I came to Rangers. I didn’t come just to win league games and not get trophies.
“I came to win as much as I possibly can and know that’s aligned with everyone else in the changing room. That goes for the management team as well.
“So that gives us more hunger going into this cup tie against Raith.”
It wasn’t so long ago that Cantwell was impressing in the Premier League with
Norwich Norw and being tipped for moves mov to bigger clubs worth double-digit millions.
He’d have been sought after down south before Beale made his move.
But Cantwell is adamant the manager didn’t have to twist his arm to join the club.
Bea le has prom i sed major changes in his squad this summer and a fresh, vibrant Rangers.
Cantwell, along with fellow new boy Nico Raskin, will be a poster boy for that and he’s willing to take on the challenge. He said: “Persuade isn’t the word.
“As a player, you have to be very careful that you make the right decision for your career because it can be over pretty quickly.
“I can’t speak for Nico but I had to make sure this was the right move for me at this moment in time.
“The manager didn’t need to persuade me to come here – I wanted to come.
“I came for a reason – and that’s to win things.
“It’s exciting for me to be
Cup reall final y defea open t eyes edmy muc to h how it for means Gers
part of it. I bought i n to t he project t ha t I wa s sold here.
“So far i t ’s exactly what it was said to be. I’m happy with my position and everything here so far.
“I’m enjoying myself and hopefully my performances just keep improving.
“The manager here can make me a better player, 100 per cent. Him and the rest of t h e coa ch - ing staff a r e fantastic. I thought they’d be good but I’ve actual ly been impressed by just how good they have been.
“On a day-to- day basis, we are all becoming better footballers.”
Cantwell is beginning to assert himself more in this Rangers team, along with Belgian midfielder Raskin. He says they’ve already developed a partnership on the pitch in terms of how they play.
And Cantwell is convinced that his own performances for Gers can still go up another few notches.
He said: “Nico is a very good player and he’s similar to me in some aspects.
“We both like to get on the ball and link up.
“Last week (wins against Kilmarnock and Hibs) were a good opportunity for us to play together and show that we have similar mindsets. We already have an understanding on the pitch. Some players, if they’re similar, they just get each other.
“And that’s something we’ve definitely got.
“It’s difficult to predict as a player how far away you are from top form.
“I know what I’m capable of and I’m building in the right direction, which I’m happy with.
“If my limit is what it is, so be it. But I believe within myself that there’s still a lot more to come.”
Given the role he played in Rangers’ 55th title win, Michael Beale is part of history at Ibrox.
As Steven Gerrard’s assistant in 2021, he helped take the club back to the top of the Scottish game – and end Celtic’s bid for 10-in-a-row.
But now, as Gers’ current gaffer, Beale isn’t interested in the past.
In the present, of course, he still has a Scottish Cup to win – with Raith Rovers in Govan this afternoon for a quarter-final.
But, within himself, Beale will have accepted the Premiership title is destined for Parkhead again.
You now get the feeling that every single thing he says and does is geared towards the future.
And one of the most significant summers Rangers have ever had.
Whether it’s recruitment, style, squad size or system, Beale is ready to change the lot.
Right now, he can’t talk too much about it.
He has players who won’t be part of the plans next term but he still needs a tune out of them now.
The group’s core has barely changed since Beale first walked through the door with Gerrard five years ago.
And for Rangers to properly challenge Celtic for the title next season, that can’t go on.
Beale knows it and, by the sounds of it, he’s ready to be ruthless in a bid to ensure certain fai lings aren’t repeated.
Asked if he could sense his squad were menta l l y scar red by relinquishing the title to Ange Postecoglou’s side – as well as taking severe beatings in the Champions League – Beale said: “It was a strange one because the form, both in Europe and domestically, had been strong for a long time.
“But this group of players could certainly have won more trophies.
“When you’re managing 35 players and overseeing 30 staff, it’s difficult because how everyone sees it is different.
“But now it’s about trying to bring everyone together with clarity and cohesion in the way we think and where we’re going to go.
“We need to cut the cord from the past.
“There have been some deja vu moments recently because it’s me coaching the team.
“We’ve had some issues that we had before when I was here, at the same stage when we were building.
“So we’re cutting from the past and moving in a different direction in terms of the way we play.
“We’re also moving in a different direction and recruiting new players into that.
“A lot of people have done a lot of good things here over the last few years.
“But the club needs to move forward now.
“This game doesn’t wait for anyone. That’s what the coming months are about.
“The period between me coming in and the end of this season allows me to decide exactly what I want to do.
“I have my eyes on a lot of players but I have to make sure the balance fits right.
“When I was speaking to Nico Raskin and Todd Cantwel l in January, it took a long time for me to make sure they’d fit in here.
“Where would they fit in? Where would they play?
“When I came back to the club, I had to see the group I was inheriting first.
“But I’ve always said there will be a 25 per cent turnover, naturally, in the next window.
“Then if we decide to sell one or two, we’ll replace them like-for-like in terms of position. I don’t want to put a number on it.
“But this is a signif icant summer for the club – everyone can see what is required.
“It’s about reducing the squad size and upscaling in quality.”
It’s a guessing game right now in terms of who from Beale’s current pool of players will be here for pre-season.
From the outside, it appears he’s keen for Ryan Kent and Ryan Jack to sign new contracts.
The same can’t be said for striker Alfredo Morelos and injury- hit Filip Helander.
Veterans Allan McGregor, Steven
Davis and Scott Arfield also look to be on their way out.
But if Beale is to implement tangible change, he has decisions to make on certain players still IN contract – such as out- of- form Rabbi Matondo and particularly Glen Kamara.
The Finnish midfielder, once valued at around £10-15million by the club, doesn’t look happy and is now out of the team.
Bea le says: “Changes of managers, a change of ideas and changes of shape will move the goalposts for every player.
“Glen has had a lot of people interested in him.
“There’s always been something
in the background with him, in terms of could there be a bid for him? With what we paid for him (£50k) and where bids were maybe at, it was always interesting.
“He was essential to the way we played when I was here previously.
“And since I’ve been back, he’s had some big performances.
“Even in the last month he was outstanding away to Hearts playing with John Lundstram and Malik Tillman.
“Away at Livingston he was with Nico and Todd in a different role and he played well.
“But, like the team, he fell below the levels against Celtic (in the Viaplay Cup Final defeat). We changed the midfield for the next game. Those three midf ielders (Lundstram, Kamara, Tillman) are now out of the team and the other three ( Jack, Raskin, Cantwell) are in because they’re playing well.
“I’m sure Glen will come again and he’s a boy I’m close to. There are no issues about how he’s training or how he is around the building.
“But, like every player this month, he’s had a bit more scrutiny on him.”
There is also pressure on Beale to deliver silverware and he knows it – especially after that League Cup loss to Celtic at Hampden.
Rangers claim to be the world’s most successful club with 117 major trophies to their name. But that’s under threat now from their Old Firm rivals who are catching up on 114.
Ahead of today’s cup tie against Raith Rovers, the Ibrox boss is well aware winning is all that counts at Ibrox.
He said: “We play for Rangers. Things are on the wall here but they’re only important if you keep on winning.
“There will always be outside noise , something in the background.
“But the most important thing is that we win the trophy in front of us. Then other things will take care of themselves.”