Ivor Pandur might not know all the labels of the Rangers greats who have come before him. But the Ibrox No1 recognises that the name of the game for Derek McInnes’ team tonight is to win at all costs.
Gers have touched down in the Czech Republic with only the slenderest of leads over Jablonec tucked away in their suitcases. To reach the Conference League and spare themselves the humiliation of a campaign without group stage action, McInnes’ men must live up to their favourites tag and dispense with a side that looked decidedly average while holding Gers to a mere 1-0 win in Glasgow.
Pandur aims to join Ibrox greats
Dealing with such occasions was seldom an issue for Rangers during McInnes’ time on the playing staff. The current Ibrox gaffer was lucky to walk into a dressing room and find the names of Andy Goram and Stefan Klos adorning the goalkeeping kits during his star-studded era back in the late 90s.
Now Pandur is hoping to insert his own into the Ibrox history books—but to do that, he must measure up to the big figures of yesteryear by getting the job done with the pressure on. The former Hull City shot-stopper said: “Yeah the expectation levels are different at this club but at the end of the day it’s football.
“It’s just a game of football and you can only do the best you can. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not as good. But the pressure will always be there ... and it should be because this is a massive club. Expectation levels should be high. We need to answer those expectations always.
“The manager and I haven’t spoken about those big names from the past, but from my perspective, I just want to be the best I can be, and that way I can help the team. If I end up being one of the best to have ever played for Rangers, then so be it. But for me now, the goal is just to perform as best I can and help the team.”
European group stage a big goal
The Croatian keeper started his career in his homeland with Rijeka before moving on to spells in Italy, the Netherlands and England. But it was only earlier this month that he got his first experience of European action as Gers kicked-off their unsuccessful Europa League qualification bid against Jagiellonia Bialystok. Now they must avoid defeat in Bohemia to ensure they make it to the Conference League proper.
“Playing in the group stage is 100 percent a big goal of mine and part of the reason why I joined Rangers. It’s the goal we want to pursue and we’re all ready for it. So I can’t wait for tomorrow and to go out and put on a performance that we can all be proud of. It’s a really big match for me and I think this moment will just bring the best out of everybody.
“We are fighting for something. Something big and we’re all up for it. We just need to play our normal way. We’ve come here looking to dominate the game, not to survive. The focus is on that.”
McInnes grateful for training time
And it’s been the focus for boss McInnes this past week having made the most of the free time he had on the training pitch generated by the club’s decision to postpone a league match at home to St Mirren. “I think we’re grateful for any time on the training pitch,” said the manager. “The lads have been in as well, so we’ve worked hard but been able to work at a better pace.
“When the games come thick and fast — Thursday, Sunday — and obviously the schedule is coming up, I think four games in 12 days, the ability to train is going to be minimal, really. So we took advantage of that, getting one or two days off for the players. But there was also work over the weekend to keep that going as well. I think having the option to take the free weekend, as you’ve seen all the clubs have taken up that option, hopefully it pays the benefit for us. I think everybody’s looking for better performances. We’ve drawn one and won the last two games.
“We’re trying to integrate so many players. We’re trying to get a rhythm, trying to find that familiarity. We’ve obviously been dealt a blow with one or two injuries. So we will get better as we go along, but it’s important that we win games as we are trying to find our best performances. That’s what’s pleased me about the last couple of performances, in the sense that the five goals against St Mirren showed we’re an attacking threat. We got a much-needed win. We got a win last Thursday. I thought we could have added to it, but we went down to 10 men.
“That probably took away that opportunity to do it. But although it wasn’t a brilliant performance from us, it was a performance that allows us to get a win and we didn’t give up too many opportunities for our opponent. We understand the need for us to get better as we go along is going to be there. It’s going to be a requirement, but we will get better as we go along.
“We need to make sure we try and win this game tomorrow night, if we can, and get through the tie. For obvious reasons, European football is so important to the club, both financially but also for the prestigious element of it. Being able to perform and represent the club in Europe is something that’s very important to us.”
Jablonec didn’t cause too many problems last week at Ibrox. But with such a narrow advantage, McInnes is taking nothing for granted. He said: “We have to try and play to win. I think it’s important that the players recognise that we’re not just going out to try and protect a 1-0 lead, because the biggest danger of that is it comes back to bite you. The focus is on bringing a big performance individually and as a team. If we do that, then I feel that hopefully, with a team performance, we can get the desired outcome.”
