Wish Iâ??d been thrown in at the deep end

[ian1964 10,689]

THEREâ??S a school of thought that the poor Rangers performances this season are down to the clubâ??s kids feeling intimidated.

 

But Jamie McCunnie insists the Ibrox babes should be INSPIRED by the task theyâ??ve been handed.

 

McCunnie, an integral part of the Stirling Albion side who strolled to a point against the Gers at the weekend, insists every youngster in the country would love to swap places with Ally McCoistâ??s players.

 

The ex-Dundee United defender, 29, said: â??Rangers are giving the boys a chance they probably wouldnâ??t have had. I donâ??t feel sorry for them as they are getting an opportunity.

 

â??If I was in their shoes Iâ??d just be grasping the chance.

 

â??Some of those boys are only 17 or 18. Iâ??m all for giving youth a chance. I think itâ??s the only way for clubs to survive.

 

â??Itâ??s got to be better for Scottish football. Youâ??ve seen what happens if you just bring in foreign players.

 

â??They are going to move on and you wonâ??t have brought the young players through. What are you going to be left with? Nothing really.

 

â??If I was a young boy and someone was paying me the money they are getting, this platform and those training facilities, I wouldnâ??t feel intimidated at all.

 

â??If anything Iâ??d thrive on it and want to express myself.

 

â??Although they are young, what better chance are you going to have to progress in your career than playing at Rangers?

 

â??Itâ??s a pressure they should thrive on and enjoy.

 

â??Iâ??d a good upbringing at Dundee United but thatâ??s what these boys are getting too.

 

â??Theyâ??re playing with experienced players like Lee Wallace and Lee McCulloch and theyâ??ve a manager and coaching staff who have all done it at the highest level.

 

â??If they are needing a wee bit of guidance or advice, Iâ??m sure those guys are ready to help them.â?

 

McCunnie played against the Gers when they had top stars like the De Boer brothers playing for them, and admits itâ??s surreal to go to Ibrox these days.

 

He said: â??It used to be brilliant walking out here to â??Simply the Bestâ??. Even in the warm-up you could sense the atmosphere.

 

â??Rangers were always fighting for something. They could never afford to drop points as Celtic would capitalise on that.

 

â??You always knew you were in for a hard afternoon.

 

â??We knew we were in for a tough time in this match but there was always an added pressure on those Rangers players that they had to perform and win.

 

â??I actually won my first game at Ibrox with Dundee United. It was when Dick Advocaat was coming towards the end of his reign.

 

â??The atmosphere was so different then. It was a full house all the time. I was only 17 and playing against those players and in that kind of atmosphere was brilliant.

 

â??I still enjoyed this game, even if Ibrox was only half full.

 

â??But at Celtic and Rangers, you still have to win so thatâ??s why this result will be a big disappointment to them.â?

 

The Binos have thwarted Rangers three times this term and McCunnie admits they were despondent to only get a draw this time.

 

He said: â??We were positive in the way we set up and just approached it like any other game.

 

â??Weâ??re actually quite disappointed we didnâ??t get the three points.

 

â??In fairness to the quite a few Rangers fans, many of them applauded us at the end.

 

â??Hopefully, that just wasnâ??t because of the result as we tried to knock the ball about too.â?

 

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