No team will relish facing us at Ibrox, insists Goldson
CONNOR GOLDSON insists Rangers have learned to fear no one in Europe — but reckons a host of big names will now have the collywobbles about coming to Ibrox. The centre-half is preparing for a third Europa League campaign in three seasons after Thursday night’s victory over Galatasaray and can’t wait to square off against Benfica, Standard Liege and Lech Poznan in Group D.
Goldson has already set his sights on going deep into the latter stages of the competition after tumbling out to Bayer Leverkusen at the round of 16 last time out and believes Steven Gerrard’s side are stronger now than they’ve ever been.
‘The last couple of years have helped us gain a lot of experience in Europe,’ he said. ‘We’ve reached the group stage again and, hopefully, we can go as far as we did last season, if not further.
‘No team would have wanted to get us in the draw. If you look at Pot Three, obviously AC Milan were in there, but not many teams would have wanted to come to Ibrox after what we’ve done in the last few seasons.
‘We’re up against good opposition in the group but we’ll go into it with real belief. First and foremost, our aim is to get out of the group.
‘Last season, Bayer Leverkusen proved to be a tough ask in the last 16. It was a step too far for us, but we’ve proved ourselves against some really good sides.
‘When I signed here, one of the manager’s big things was to get Rangers back into Europe and that was a major attraction for me.’
Goldson was thrilled to see team-mate James Tavernier turn in another captain’s performance with a goal in the 2-1 win over Galatasaray.
The twosome first met as kids trying to make their way at Shrewsbury Town seven years ago and have formed a close friendship.
Goldson admits they are reaching a stage, though, where they both have to garnish their careers with silverware. He sees Tavernier as the ideal kind of captain to lead the current Rangers side to glory at home and abroad.
‘Tav is massive for Rangers,’ he said. ‘He’s got over 250 games, 50 goals from right-back and I don’t even know how many assists. He’s always going to receive criticism because, if you play that many games as a defender, you will make a mistake every now and then. The best defenders in the world make mistakes.
‘I think Tav gets unfair criticism at times. He’s always available and his numbers are frightening. The club is lucky to have him.
‘We have a really good relationship on the pitch. We keep each other right. I knew him already from when he was on loan at Shrewsbury as a youngster, so he was the first person to welcome me to Rangers.
‘We’ve always stayed close. Our girlfriends are close, we spend time together away from football and we’re both desperate to win things here.
‘We’re at a stage now where we have to win, so, hopefully, this year is a big one for both of us. I don’t want to leave this club without winning anything.’
Manager Gerrard convinced Goldson to leave Brighton in a £3.5million deal in June 2018 by offering the prospect of competing for medals and going up against serious talent in UEFA competition. It has been a mixed couple
of years for both men, but
We’ve proved ourselves against good sides. We go into this group with a real belief
the defender believes one look at the depth of the current squad proves that Gerrard’s reign remains an evolving project that still has some way to go.
‘The manager is a big asset to the club. He’s done a great job in the two and a half years,’ said the 27-year-old. ‘If you look at the squad Rangers have now compared to my first pre-season in Marbella, it’s chalk and cheese. That’s credit to the board for backing him but also his recruitment.
‘He has improved this club massively but we still need to win things, so that’s the main aim this season.’
Goldson is also out to prove that he can keep the door bolted at the back as Rangers endeavour to win their first major trophy since 2011 — and is happy with developing partnership with Filip Helander now the Swede has recovered from the foot injury that curtailed his first season in Glasgow.
‘I thought it started well last year and we were just starting to adapt to each other before he got injured,’ said Goldson. ‘Fortunately, he’s come back strong and the back four feels solid.’