Davis pays tribute to Smith ahead of ending decade wait
STEVEN DAVIS knows how difficult the last decade has been for Rangers supporters as the club has been demoted, derided and riddled with division at times.
But that difficult past will make the success of today all the sweeter as Steven Gerrard’s side prepare to secure the Premiership crown and ensure the league flag will fly over Ibrox once again.
Davis was part of the last Rangers side to win the title under the guidance of Walter Smith 10 years ago and Gerrard this week thanked the legendary former boss for his help and advice this term.
The title could be won this weekend and Davis is relieved supporters will finally have a reason to be cheerful once again after the most tumultuous period in Rangers’ history.
“I don’t like to compare one manager to the next as each has their own personality,” Davis said. “They deal with situations in the way they see fit. The gaffer has his own traits and he has done a fantastic job since he came in.
“It was a massive first job for him to step into but for him to have Walter there and to tap into is a great thing for him.
“There’s been a lot of hurt over the past 10 years and it’s been a long road to try and get it back to where it should be.
“Even as a group, we’ve had a lot of criticism over the past couple of seasons when we’ve fallen away. So it’s going to be a very special moment when we do get over the open and it’s one that the fans will be delighted with.
“Of course there’s something missing in terms of them not being able to be in the stadium to witness it this year but I’m sure everyone will be delighted and will celebrate accordingly whenever to comes.”
The transformation from failed challengers to champions-elect has been remarkable for Rangers this season and their crowning moment will be thoroughly merited whenever it arrives.
The defeat to Hamilton at Ibrox last March was arguably the lowest point of Gerrard’s
tenure but his side remain unbeaten in the league this term and are now on the brink of history.
Davis said: “It (the change) has been huge. We all know what comes with playing for this club and the scrutiny it’s under and the pressure you are under to win week in week out.
“I read one of the manager’s interviews recently – talking about December being the biggest month, them January being the biggest month and before that October was the biggest month.
“That’s just the nature of the beast here. What that tells you is ultimately the next game is the most important.
“As a group we’ve managed to really keep our focus this year. Obviously the belief and quality we have in the team... I felt we had the quality in the team last year as well to have a sustained charge for the title but for whatever reason we fell a little bit short.
“Obviously the recruitment the club’s done on the summer has made the squad even stronger.
“One of the demands of the gaffer is to keep progressing and pushing yourself to get those percentages.
“It’s a little bit of a cliché in football but genuinely I do feel taking it one game at a time has been the approach.
“There’s been a real focus in terms of taking a game off, then resetting and getting yourself prepared for the next one. That’s stood us in good stead so far this year. It was the same after the game the other night.”
MOHAMED Elyounoussi has admitted he wants to stop Rangers from clinching the Scottish title at Parkhead and insisted Celtic will go into the next Old Firm game confident of victory.
If Steven Gerrard’s team overcome St Mirren at Ibrox this afternoon then John Kennedy’s side need to pick up maximum points against Dundee United at Tannadice tomorrow to prevent their city rivals from winning the Premiership.
However, if the first and second-placed sides in the top flight both triumph this weekend then the Govan outfit just need a point to prevail when they travel to the East End on Sunday, March 21.
Southampton loanee Elyounoussi is keen for the quadruple treble winners to build on their 1-0 victory over Aberdeen last week, go on a winning run until the end of the 2020/21 campaign and ensure Rangers don’t celebrate on their turf.
“We are aiming to win every game we go into,” the Norwegian winger said. “We have had a good week of training and preparation and the atmosphere in the squad is good. We will try to win all the games we have coming up, and also in the cup.
“Of course we don’t want that (Rangers winning the league at Parkhead) to happen, but our main focus is on ourselves and what we can produce in that game. Whatever happens in other games is not in our control.
“We can only control the games we play and do our best to win them. Nobody is thinking about what happens if we drop points. We will go into that game with a lot of confidence and belief and look to win it.”
Meanwhile, Elyounoussi has insisted he has no fears about contracting coronavirus on international duty with Norway later this month when they play World Cup qualifiers against Gibraltar, Turkey and Montenegro.
“It’s difficult with the pandemic and you have to look at the whole picture,” he said. “There were some issues last year and I know one of the games (against Turkey) has been moved from Norway to Spain. My focus is on Celtic for
the next few games and then we’ll see what happens.
“I wouldn’t be worried about going away as we travel under really strict protocols. We wear masks, we are distanced and we live like we do here. We are very careful around each other and we follow all the same protocols that we do at Celtic. I am not concerned about it. I feel safe every time I travel with the national team.
“We had a couple of issues last time, but it was other players who got it. There was concern that we would have to quarantine as well, if we had been in close contact but it was okay. We will see how things go and take it from there.”Elyounoussi helped Celtic to complete their fourth consecutive clean sweep of domestic silverware back in December when he played in the delayed Scottish Cup final against Hearts at Hampden.
He was pleased to learn the competition, which had been postponed back in January due to rising coronavirus infection rates, will resume later this month and is hopeful he can help the defending champions retain their trophy.
“The Scottish Cup is something we are looking forward to,” he said. “We are still trying to win every game to see where we go, but obviously the league is really tough. There is a trophy on the line now as well and we are the holders. It would be nice to keep it again.
“It’s been a long time since Celtic didn’t win a trophy and that’s not something we want to be remembered for being part of.
“That’s not in our mind though. We work hard in training and go in to every game with the aim to win. It will be the same in the Scottish Cup.”
Lennon admitted that he was keen to take Elyounoussi back to Celtic next season before he resigned, but the player is focusing on the remaining matches of the 2020/21 campaign.
“I haven’t really thought about my future yet,” he said. “I just want to finish the season as strong as possible. My main focus is to work hard in every training session and game. There will be enough time to think about my future.”