Mark Hateley saw Rangers crash out of Europe and immediately thought Derek McInnes’ team could bounce from trouble to a treble.
The Light Blues’ shock defeat to Jablonec back in August was a hammer blow to the new gaffer McInnes as the club failed to reach group-stage action for the first time in nine years. But Gers legend Hateley reckons the chance to spend more time on the training field was always destined to be the silver lining on the dark cloud lingering over Ibrox.
Unbeaten run and cup final
So far it’s looking promising, with Rangers on a 12-game unbeaten run and preparing for a shot at winning the first trophy of the season in next month’s Premier Sports Cup final with Hibs. And the former England striker reckons his old side can now build on that to complete a clean sweep this season.
He said: “I was at the game when we got knocked out of Europe and my first thought was that this could be a blessing in disguise. It gives you more time on the training ground and more time to get to know your players. Fortunately, it seems to have turned out that way. A lot of players go away on international duty, but you still get some to work with in certain areas where we were struggling.
Training ground benefits
“The time Derek’s had available to work with them during the international breaks has shone through on matchdays when they come back. What is also clear is that we’re starting to get to a standard where the smaller games, if you want to call them smaller games, we’re taking care of those now.
“When Derek first came in, it was stop-start, stop-start. Now, I think he’s reinforced it into the players that Old Firm games are easy games to get up for. [But the games against the other teams] are the games we need to win. To continually keep winning these games, this is what winning a league is about. I think that is now being battered into the players.
Treble ambitions
“When we got knocked out of Europe, I said we could probably do a treble, just like that. I stand by that, but you have to win your first thing first. Focus on getting across the line in your first cup, put that in the trophy room and then build on that.
“We are where we are. I don’t try to get ahead of myself in terms of what we are trying to do. I think Derek will be the same. He’ll be trying to keep everybody geared up to achieve it. But you have to keep that level and not jump ahead of where we are. Keep everybody grounded and keep everybody punching in the right direction.”
Hateley was speaking at the Ibrox book launch of Formidable, The Willie Woodburn Story, written by Jeff Holmes.
