Hurt Drives Me On

[ian1964 10,720]

By Andrew Dickson

 

WALTER SMITH admits he's feeling the pain of defeat more than ever - and that it's making him even more determined to bring the league title back to Ibrox.

 

Rangers resume their SPL campaign again this weekend when they host Hearts and it's a game everyone at the club is desperate to win.

 

Walter SmithLast week's League Cup final defeat to Celtic and the recent loss at home to Inverness have left the manager hurting as much as anyone.

 

But he's eager to bounce back from those two disappointments when the Jambos come calling and is looking for his team to respond positively.

 

Smith said: "Defeats get harder to take as you get older and I can't really put my finger on why that's so.

 

"Whether you have a greater deal of resilience to them when you're younger or whatever, I'm not sure.

 

"But it certainly takes a bit more to get over them now. It was similar last season with the way the campaign finished.

 

"Now it takes a bit longer for them to go through your system but even then, they don't go until you get going on a good run.

 

"You always want to win. That's why we're here and we don't take jobs on thinking we're going to lose out at a certain stage.

 

"We know what we have to do - we're trailing behind Celtic a little at the moment but we've got a home game to come and we'll have to try to catch up with them.

 

Ally McCoist and Walter Smith"We've shown a determination to get back on top after falling a few points behind last season and now we're keen to do that again."

 

The destination of last season's championship was determined by Celtic's seven-game winning run in the closing stages of the campaign.

 

Smith reckons it'll take something similar to settle this season's competition - and he knows the onus is on his men to produce.

 

He added: "It would seem as though one of the teams in contention is going to have to come up with something like that if they want to come out on top.

 

"The most important thing for us is that we catch up first with Celtic and the biggest thing after the disappointment of the final is to get back on track.

 

"After any defeat, such as an Old Firm loss, that's the main thing and that's what makes tomorrow's game as vital as it is for us."

 

Smith, meanwhile, insists there's no problem with his defence after it was criticised for the goals it has lost recently.

 

Walter SmithStrikes conceded against Hamilton, Inverness and Celtic all came from high balls but the manager is adamant it's nothing to worry about in the long term.

 

Smith said: "We have just had a situation where, for a long number of games, we've handled that sort of thing quite well.

 

"We have still conceded the fewest goals in the league and it's just that I keep complaining about the ones we do lose.

 

"It's always a poor way to concede when you do so from set pieces and we have been a wee bit dozy in those cases over the season.

 

"We just need to put up with the criticism we've had. Everybody gets it these days whether you're a banker, a politician or something else. It's something we have to accept.

 

"Statistically speaking, we have still been better at the back than anyone in the SPL and we haven't been that bad."

[Cotter 0]

Oh fuck off and stop playing Christian Dailly if losing hurts so bad.

[pete 2,499]

Oh fuck off and stop playing Christian Dailly if losing hurts so bad.

 

Seven words too many cotter the first three were enough.

[Big Spliff 0]

Obviously I'd prefer Smith to be doing various things better, but at least here he talks like it really affects him. You don't hear that genuinely often enough. Strangely, I read excerpts from this media conference/interview somewhere else today and the difference in reporting angle is quite remarkable.

[Gers4Life 0]

His bloody ears must be on fire tonight! aswell as McCullochs and daillys

[Norris Cole 0]

"Hurt drives me on"

 

Oh dear, someone's looking rather silly tonight.