ian1964 10,761 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 ........says former Hearts boss Paulo Sergio. SERGIO was dismayed when the winger left Tynecastle to join Rangers in the bottom tier last term and says Templeton has been dragged down by his 18 months away from the top flight. PAULO SERGIO fears playing in the lower leagues has stifled David Templeton’s development but is praying it doesn’t stop him fulfilling his true potential. The former Hearts boss was dismayed when the winger left Tynecastle to join Rangers in the bottom tier last term. And the Portuguese believes twinkle-toed Templeton has been dragged down by his 18 months away from the top flight. Sergio worked with the 25-year-old during his one season at Tynecastle and marvelled at the ability of the player who scored against Liverpool at Anfield just 24 hours before he signed up for a battle in the Third Division with Gers. It was a crucial stage in Templeton’s career and Scottish Cup-winning gaffer Sergio reckons he would now be flourishing rather than floundering if he’d held out for a switch to the English Championship. Instead Templeton, although hampered by injuries at times, has struggled to capture his best form at Ibrox. He has mustered just five starts this season although his scoring appearances off the bench in the last two games show signs he could live up to his £800,000 transfer fee. Sergio just hopes his talent doesn’t suffocate in the time it takes Rangers to get back to the Premiership. The 45-year-old said: “I always believed during my time at Hearts that David had the ability to move to a higher level. “I spoke to him and others and told them they had the qualities to progress. It was my way of motivating them, trying to work their mentality. “I explained to them they go could higher and I really believed in David’s case he could do it. “That’s why, in terms of career, the move he made to the lowest division in Scotland wasn’t the best choice. “In these last two years he’s been playing in a standard of league that isn’t the best to develop a player who is 23 or 24. In the lower divisions the quality isn’t so high. “I know Rangers are a huge club and I hope they can get back to the Premiership but at this time I don’t believe it’s best for David. “You could argue he should stand out more than he has because he’s up against players with less ability than him. “But the way I see it is if you are a top pianist playing in a bad orchestra then the music won’t be good. If you want to develop yourself I believe you must play with and against the best. “If he’d come to me when he was making the decision to leave Hearts I would probably have advised him to go to the Championship in England. “I know he’s playing in a huge club with a great history but individually I’m not sure it was the right move for him. “He’s working with a fantastic manager and technical staff but the competition is not the same. My only hope is there is still time to see the very best of David. “I hope these years of playing in the lower divisions don’t kill his development and the level he could reach. “I like him, I only have good words to say about him. That’s why I’m sure he could have picked up a club in the English Championship when he was leaving Hearts and that would have been a good move.” While Sergio always believed Templeton had the ability to reach the top he insists a strong mentality is equally essential to ensure he gets there. And he wants to see his former protege show the hunger to be the best he can. The former Sporting Lisbon boss said: “To play at the highest level the thing that makes the difference is the brain. You need to marry ability and mentality together. “David was a vital player for me at Hearts because he’s so quick with lots of technical ability. “When I first joined Hearts and I assessed all the players he was one who stood out. His technical ability and pace sets him apart and that’s why I had a lot of belief in his ability to reach the top. “But mentality is so important and what level he reaches depends on his head. It’s about mentality, desire and hunger. “Did I have concerns about his mentality? Any small issues I might have had with players stay between me and the player. “I had a good relationship with him and only have positive things to say about David. He was crucial for me and I’m grateful to every player I worked with at Hearts.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/david-templeton-being-dragged-down-3068184 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunslinger 3,366 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 i suspect he is right. i also suspect hes not he only player. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
onevision 1,595 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I suspect Templeton has found his playing level.... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hildy 0 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 He's right. This has been a bad move for the player. Obviously, going to Rangers was a dream move in many ways, but he would have been better performing at a higher level, and with a manager who appreciates his talent more than Ally McCoist seems to. Not even getting a regular start in the third division must be soul destroying for the player. For his sake, he probably needs to move on. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmu 0 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I won't criticise any rangers player now, no matter how bad a performance, until they get the chance to play for a decent manager. It's way to many good players performing well below their capabilities for it all to be down to the players. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,808 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 The season drags on, the title is virtually in the bag, the weather is shyte, the performance levels drop somewhat ... heck, let's go after McCoist (or any manager before him) again! So if some Hearts manager - who managed to win 4 games all season, in letters that is FOUR - bemoans the loss of his star player it consequently leads to some Ally bashing. Well well ... The facts - champagne football or not - are: Played: 22 Won: 21 Drawn: 1 Lost: 0 Goals scored: 74 Goals conceded: 10 Points: 64 Leading the pack by: 23 points That the entertainment levels vary from game to game and month to month is pretty clear. At the end of the day, the CEO will look at the results and would find it hard to justify any action against McCoist and Co.. But maybe those who do not want him may be pleased to hear that the contracts of the current management team all run out this summer? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waltersgotstyle 307 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 He's right. This has been a bad move for the player. Obviously, going to Rangers was a dream move in many ways, but he would have been better performing at a higher level, and with a manager who appreciates his talent more than Ally McCoist seems to. Not even getting a regular start in the third division must be soul destroying for the player. For his sake, he probably needs to move on. According to Ally - he has struggled with injuries, I fully expect to see Templeton involved for the remainder of the season. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,808 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Taadaa ... KENNY McDOWALL says David Templeton is close to his best again after seeing him score two spectacular goals in a week. The former Hearts winger has had a difficult campaign dating all the way back to last summer when the first of a string of injuries stopped him from having a proper pre-season. Those niggles have prevented him from holding down a regular place in Ally McCoist’s starting line-up and that has frustrated him. But the 25-year-old has persevered and despite his limited number of outings he has still managed to score six times for the team, with each effort coming as a substitute. ... read more 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 The facts - champagne football or not - are: Played: 22 Won: 21 Drawn: 1 Lost: 0 Goals scored: 74 Goals conceded: 10 Points: 64 Leading the pack by: 23 points There's also an interesting stat or two for away games this season. From the 16 away games we've got 15 wins and 14 clean sheets with the only goals scored against us away from home being 2 in the League Cup at the start of August when Forfar put us out and 3 at Glebe Park in October in the game we won 3-4. Not a perfect record, but very close to perfect because 15 wins and 14 clean sheets from 16 away games is impressive stuff for any team in any league no matter what quality of squad you have. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Artagnan 173 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 According to Ally - he has struggled with injuries, I fully expect to see Templeton involved for the remainder of the season. I would hope so - every time he comes on he gives us something which was sadly lacking. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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