ian1964 10,622 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 ...but my dad says he was brilliant, says Rangers kid Andy Murdoch. THE Rangers youngster has been given a chance under Stuart McCall and is hoping the fact that his boss played in a similar position to him will be a big help. ANDY MURDOCH isn’t old enough to remember Stuart McCall earning legendary status in a Rangers shirt. The Ibrox youngster admits he hasn’t even seen DVD or Youtube clips of his new gaffer during the club’s glorious nine-in-a-row era. He’s had to rely on his old man to assure him that McCall could actually play. But from what Murdoch has witnessed of him in his short spell as Rangers gaffer he’s convinced that McCall can lead Rangers back to Scotland’s top flight. He’s yet to win a game since taking over as boss last week, having picked up dire draws against Livingston and Alloa. But 20-year-old Murdoch – a rare positive for Rangers this season – believes McCall will get it right. He reckons it was unrealistic to expect radical change straight away. But the midfielder says if they’re in the perilous play-offs come May, McCall will by that time have Gers playing the way he wants. Murdoch looks as if he’ll have a key role in the new McCall regime at Ibrox. After waiting patiently for his chance under Ally McCoist, the Paisley-born player is determined to grasp the opportunity – even if he has no idea just how good McCall was in his position when he played for the club. In an exclusive MailSport interview, Murdoch said: “I’ve never even seen any clips of the gaffer playing for Rangers. But from everything I’ve heard, he was a top player. My dad has told me about how he was a really good defensive midfielder in his day. “So I’m hoping the fact he played in a similar position as myself will be a help to me at Rangers. “He’s been really positive since he came in. He’s been energetic from the word go and he has different ideas he’s trying to get across every day. “He’s only just arrived but already he’s comfortable around the players. “Thankfully he’s shown a bit of faith in myself and Tom Walsh by keeping us in the team in a difficult time. “It will take time for the manager to get us playing the way he wants. He can’t change everything in the space of a week. But as long as we’re in the play-offs come the end of the season, hopefully by that time he’ll have put his mark on the team. By then we’ll definitely be ready for what will be some massive games.” Whether he’s on the pitch or conducting interviews, Murdoch goes about his business quietly. The Murray Park graduate isn’t flashy or conceited. At times, when youth pals Lewis Macleod and Fraser Aird were promoted to the first-team, he feared he’d never make the step up. But now that he’s in, Murdoch wants to stay there. He could have signed for Dundee United or Celtic as a teenager – but has no regrets about opting to join Gers. Murdoch said: “I’ve had to wait a while for an opportunity but now that I’ve got it I have to try to take it. “I’ve been in and out of squads and training with the first team for a couple of years now. “I just never managed to get starting games. So it was great to be finally given a chance to show what I can do earlier this season. It was difficult for me because I saw Lewis and Fraser move up and play regularly. They were showing that the young boys could handle that level. “I had to wait a while longer, an extra season almost, to get the chance. “I have to admit there were times when I thought it wouldn’t come. But that’s when I had to get my head down, work hard, and hope that things would change. “Maybe I could have gone on loan somewhere else but that was never in mind. “I just wanted to play for Rangers and I’m glad it has happened this season. While I trained here when I was younger, I had trials at other clubs including Dundee United and Celtic. “I could have gone to United but I didn’t like it. Then I was training with Celtic at the same time I was with Rangers. “So I had a big decision to make – and I chose Rangers. “This is a huge club and the big attraction was the facilities here at Murray Park. I just immediately felt comfortable at Rangers. “No matter what has happened at the club over the past few years, Rangers are still a big pull for young players growing up, definitely. “You just need to look around Murray Park and see what’s on offer. “It’s incredible and I still believe young players in Scotland want to come here.” Murdoch and Walsh are the latest to emerge from Rangers’ much-criticised youth department with Ryan Sinnamon and Ryan Hardie also on the verge of first-team call-ups under McCall. At least three of them could feature today at Easter Road as the Light Blues desperately try to get out of their current rut with a win. And Murdoch hopes he and Walsh in particular can lead the way for other Murray Park kids coming through – especially if they play their part in helping McCall’s men go up. He said: “I hope we can be a good examples to the boys here of what can be achieved if you keep at it. “We’ve come into the side recently and I’d like to think we’ve proved we can do well in there. “We haven’t looked out of place in the team so that proves we’re ready for it. “I’ve come through with Walshy from Under-13 level right up and he’s always been a really good player. “He’s technically gifted and I always thought he’d do well in the first team if given a chance. “It would mean a lot to me to say I was part of the Rangers team who got promotion back to the top flight. “Last summer I was on pre-season in America and I didn’t play at all on the tour. To be where I am now, playing from the start, is great. “I was a bit worried back then that it wouldn’t happen for me. But I’ve shown a lot of patience and I’m getting the reward now.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/im-not-old-enough-seen-5379625 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aweebluesoandso 290 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 I loved the wee man, very competitive, strong tackler, had great engine , could pass a ball too. In fact everything we seem to be missing at the moment in the team. What's the 1964 in your user name then, if not the year you were born? the Teds won the league cup that year right enough. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,622 Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 I loved the wee man, very competitive, strong tackler, had great engine , could pass a ball too. In fact everything we seem to be missing at the moment in the team. What's the 1964 in your user name then, if not the year you were born? the Teds won the league cup that year right enough. It is the year I was born,but it's not my article!,it's young Andy Murdoch saying that:) 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aweebluesoandso 290 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Looks like he's trying to instil to this team, some of his own style and high standards as a player. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 While I don't want to be negative on this day I must admit i have my doubts about Murdoch. He looks to me to be very slow for someone his age. He is beaten and then gets left running backwards. i will reserve judgement for now but I hope I have seen it wrong. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whosthedado 1,617 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 While I don't want to be negative on this day I must admit i have my doubts about Murdoch. He looks to me to be very slow for someone his age. He is beaten and then gets left running backwards. i will reserve judgement for now but I hope I have seen it wrong. Its all about opinions Pete. If I'm honest I thought he looked quite neat and tidy in possession and allowed Sheils a bit of freedom to go forward 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Its all about opinions Pete. If I'm honest I thought he looked quite neat and tidy in possession and allowed Sheils a bit of freedom to go forward Yes definately mate and I am not arguing against him yet as he has certainly been a plus to the team. As I said though he does look awful slow to me.. Sheils has made a big difference to the team in the last 2 games i wll certainly agree with that. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC 150 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) Its really hard to judge how effective a player is unless you have seen him over a large number of games. The ball is in play about 60 minutes per game. On average there must be 25 or 26 players = giving an average of about two and a bits minutes each on the ball (obvious different for certain positions and certain individuals). Indeed, for many of our games in our previous dominant state, quite a few defenders would hardly touch the ball. Oddly you can still have a good game without touching the ball as a defender. Imagine that every time the other team break, the opposing attacking midfielder has space and time to feed the ball to a winger, he is just about to do so when the holding midfielder moves across and puts him off playing that pass. An important contribution, without touching the ball, never seen on highlights, not mentioned on the commentary. This is why I am so hesitant on trusting my mainly TV based views of games unless hey are extremely easy to read (like us v Alloa, Cowden etc.) Trevor Steven, when commentating on the Indian Premier League recently, picked out a player as having an outstanding first half. Said player had not touched the ball once. Edited March 22, 2015 by SteveC 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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