NIKO KRANJCAR
Gers can lose four Old Firm games and take title
NIKO KRANJCAR reckons Rangers could lose every Old Firm game this season – and still win the Premiership.
The Croatian is fighting fit after a hip complaint wrecked the start of his campaign.
Having also missed most of last season with a cruciate injury, he is determined to finally show Gers fans what he is all about.
A consistent run of games is the 33-year-old’s personal ambition for the months ahead.
He hopes to fulfil that while Pedro Caixinha’s side is stringing together a consistent run of wins.
If they can do exactly that, Kranjcar believes it is possible the Light Blues could be celebrating next May, even if they fail to beat Celtic just once.
“We play against Celtic four times a year, so to win the league you can lose all four and win the other games if they slip up,” he said.
“That’s why I’m talking about consistency.
“The Old Firm games by themselves are not going to win the league. It’s about what you do throughout the season.
“I still think we have a good enough squad to compete with anyone.
“The one important thing for us to have is a consistent patch of results.
“That way, it’s not a tragedy when a result doesn’t go our way, and instead you are focused on the next game in the knowledge you can win it because of the quality we do have in the squad.”
Kranjcar was a star performer in pre-season, but it was a familiar story when the real action started.
The hip injury that saw him miss Rangers’ first Premiership clash with Motherwell then kept him on the bench for last week’s loss to Hibs.
It’s a situation the midfielder admits has frustrated him, but his determination to bounce back is as clear as it is admirable.
“I’m happy to have overcome a serious knee injury, and I believe I am still good enough to play for Rangers Football Club,” said Kranjcar.
“When you recover from such an injury, you are happy to play football every day, happy to compete with teammates every day in training and in the games that you play. “You want to do yourself justice. “Once I decided I wanted to do everything to recover there was no doubt in mind. I didn’t want to finish on an injury.
“When the time comes for me to call it a day, I will be mature and old enough to call it.
“I’m no way there yet. “This season, the first ambition is to stay healthy, but that won’t satisfy me. I want to play every single game.
“I still believe I have the quality to help the team, to make this team better.”
Kranjcar’s determination clearly comes from within.
But at the same time, the environment he has found himself in at Ibrox has played its part too.
The 81-times capped Croatian star is no stranger to big clubs.
Yet at Rangers, he has been blown away by the grandeur of the surroundings and the fanaticism of the fans.
“For me, it’s an honour to play for Rangers,” he said.
“And for all the clubs I’ve played for. Spurs was a moment where we had really big success as a club, managing to get into Champions League group stages for the first time, obviously with a team full of international players.
“Kiev was a team that had a great
pedigree in European football, especially in those parts.
“Now I am honoured to be part of Rangers because the tradition about the club and the support is something that I’ve found astonishing.
“To have that much support – and to continue getting that support when the club wasn’t doing well – speaks volumes about the tradition of the club and the fans.
“I felt blessed from the first day I came because, for some reason, they took to me.
“It is a great feeling for any footballer.
“Of course, there was a backlash straight after the Niederkorn game. But for the next game, we had almost 30,000 turning up for a friendly against Marseille which meant nothing.
“That means a lot to the players and it gives you an added motivation to help this club succeed and come back to where we all want it to be.”