UNDER FIRE CARETAKER boss Graeme Murty will be in charge of a Rangers side playing at Celtic Park for the third time on Sunday and remarkably he is still undefeated.
And despite the devastating 3-2 defeat on Beautiful Sunday that knocked the stuffing from his squad and he inevitable 4-0 skelping his side took at Hampden a fortnight ago, Murty reckons that if an inexperienced youth coach is going to get the Rangers manager’s job on a permanent basis then it may as well be him!
All he’s got to do is beat Celtic, then Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Hibs and he’ll be in pole position.
Meanwhile Bruno Alves, the man who was here to take away Celtic’s title, has called off sick again. He bolted to Portugal before the first game, limped off at Celtic Park early in the first half in December and was dropped for the semi-final at Hampden but came on as a substitute and managed to injure himself trying to run.
The goalie willnae be daein anything either – his season is over and the latest Ibrox club’s most experienced players, captain Lee Wallace and former Celtic striker Kenny Miller remain suspended for what happened in the dressing room at Hampden when tempers were at boiling point.
Everyone reckoned Murty had lost the dressing room, so it’s remarkable he is still talking up his chances of getting the job. The Bears would be revolting if Dave King tried to pull that stunt off, probably the day after renewals close.
“If we win the next four games you never know,” was Murty’s response to the do you think you’ll be the next Rangers manager question.
“Why not?’ he continued, starting to convince himself.
“Go and win the next four games, finish in Europe, finish high and it’s a good season all round.
“I will have done my job and I think I will have fulfilled the remit that I was given when I first came in to the letter.
“And I doubt if there’s anyone else who could have done it as well as I have for a first job.
“All you guys are talking about is Steven Gerrard and I get it, he’s a fantastic name, he was a fabulous player, but we need our perspective to become really focused on what we’ve got to do.
“And if we can do that, we’ve had really good games against Celtic this season and it’s about time we took some points off them.
“It’s another opportunity on Sunday for the players who played last time to go and show themselves in a better light.
“And if there is a new manager to come in at the end of the season, they are all auditioning. So what they need to do is make sure they perform properly.
“If I am going to be the manager they need to impress me. They owe themselves a performance.”
“I love the role. I’ll do everything I possible can to keep the role.
“I’ll fighting as hard as I can in these last four games to finish as high up the table as I possibly can. I think I’ve done a good job so far , we’ve gone from fourth to second with a squad of players who are not mine.
“With a style of football that is starting to look the way I want it to look. I am desperate for the opportunity to bring in my own players and put my own stamp on the team.”
Murty confirmed that the Ibrox board know he wants the job and he believes he remains a serious contender. “They know that. There’s never been any doubt about that.
“I’m marvellously honoured to be sitting here. People would love this job, trust me it’s a massive job. It’s a stellar job.
“As my first appointment as a manager I couldn’t have dreamed of anything like it. I’m desperate to hold on to it and I think I’ve done a really good job so far.
“I want a chance to continue it on. If it’s not to be me then someone else will have a fantastic job. But I reiterate, we have to make sure we go and focus on Sunday because that’s all we can control.
“We can only control ourselves.”
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