Memories of Ibrox misery is Murty’s primary motivator
GRAEME MURTY is playing the pain game ahead of today’s William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final.
The Rangers manager has kept reminding his players of how bad they felt on the back of their 3-2 defeat by Celtic last month in the build-up to the latest Old Firm showdown.
Celtic skipper Scott Brown has also been playing mind games in an effort to unsettle the opposition by highlighting that defeat.
But Murty is using the memory to fire up his players after pointing out: ‘We should remember how much it hurt, remember we had good opportunities to get something from the game.
‘I want them to use that as fuel to drive them to a more positive day, so that they walk off the pitch on Sunday with a smile on their face rather than experiencing the hurt they felt last time.
‘If we get that smiling sensation we’ll have done our jobs really well and I see a team that is focused and concentrated, one desperate to get a good result.’
Murty (pictured below) also stressed the importance of not dwelling on any negativity expressed by the pundits at large.
He said: ‘I don’t really want to feed into what other people have been saying. I just want the players to concentrate on what we do well and not worry about anything else that’s out of our control.
‘There are lots of people saying stuff going into the game and there are loads of predictions.
‘But it will be really good for us if we then walk off the pitch with smiles on our faces because we’re through to the final. If we do that, we’ll be in a good place.
‘I just want to focus on the players’ understanding of our pattern and our play and our structure. That’s my sole focus because we have the belief, understanding and drive to go and get the game won.
‘There was lots of belief going into the last game and they know how close they came. Now I believe this group is ready to take the next step.’
Murty has also been careful not to alter his own approach, in the belief that it’s important to stick to an established routine.
But he admitted: ‘My take on the scale of it has changed. The first Old Firm game I was kind of wide-eyed.
‘I wanted to do really well but I wanted to take in everything around it as well.
‘The last couple have been more intense in it being my team as opposed to me handing over to Pedro (Caixinha), as was the case with the first one.
‘This one is also going to be special because it’s at Hampden and it’s my first time there. It’s massive for me and the football club.’
Alfredo Morelos missed a glorious opportunity to grab a last-gasp equaliser in the most recent encounter, but Murty has retained his faith in the striker.
He added: ‘I’m confident he’ll be desperate to go and get a goal for us because he was hurt by missing that chance, there’s no getting away from it. We all were.
‘But people using that as motivation to do better next time is good for me as the manager.
‘That wasn’t the only moment I’ve replayed in my mind. We need to be more clinical in both boxes, more than we were, and if we are, we have players to cause Celtic a problem.
‘But I have decisions to make all over the pitch in terms of personnel and structure, and those decisions will be fully communicated to the players. ‘I like to name the team the night before mainly because I want the guys that are not involved to get over their disappointment and bring positive energy to the changing room. ‘I have been in the situation where the team is named an hour before kick-off and I haven’t been in it. ‘Then, through no fault of your own, you’re in a bad place, you’re in a bad mood and you can’t bring anything positive to the group.’