Lee Wallace: I want to finish my career at Rangers...

[ian1964 10,761]

...and become a great Ibrox captain.

 

 

LEE WALLACE: Captain, leader. Legend? He is already two out of the three and, as for the final one, who knows? Only time will tell.

 

Wallace is following in the footsteps of Ibrox greats and the chance to emulate them continues to inspire and motivate the Rangers skipper.

 

He knows the privilege of the position, but has some way to go to be held in the same esteem as those who have worn the armband with distinction before him.

 

Wallace is on the brink of leading Rangers back to Scotland’s top flight. It will be a notable achievement for the 28-year-old and one that marks the end of The Journey.

 

But it will signal the start of another for Wallace and the club. It is one that could prove hugely successful and earn the left-back his place in Ibrox folklore.

 

No matter where it takes Wallace, it is likely to see him through to the end of his career. The captain has a chance to lead Rangers and become a legend.

 

“I’m well aware that in Rangers’ history I’m the least off in terms of being successful and winning medals,” Wallace said.

 

“I go back to Lee McCulloch, who was part of successful teams here and won loads of things, then Davie Weir and Richard Gough, who were also very successful.

 

“So the dreams and aspirations for me are to try to become these people.

 

“Will we be as successful as these Rangers teams from the past? I don’t know, but maybe. Will I be as successful as these captains? I don’t know, maybe.

 

“The drive and the ambition is still there so that’s something I will certainly be fighting for.

 

“I’m 28 now and would happily finish my career here, that’s something I’ve thought about a lot.

 

“If I am performing and doing well enough that the manager deems me good enough to stay then great.

 

“And you don’t need to look any further than David Weir and how he prolonged his career from being a top professional.

 

“I had one season playing with him, although we didn’t line up together too many times because of injuries to both of us, but he was an example.

 

“The way he acquitted himself, every detail from training to what he ate in the dining room every day, led to him prolonging his career.

 

“I have aspirations to be like him and play for as long as I can and if that’s here then perfect.”

 

When Mark Warburton and Weir arrived at Ibrox in the summer, one of their first big decisions was who to hand the armband to for the new campaign.

 

Their faith in Wallace has been well placed and more than been rewarded. On and off the park, he has grown into the role and embraced it.

 

Within weeks, Wallace will hold aloft the Championship trophy, and there could yet be cup success to celebrate as well this term.

 

After a campaign to forget, Rangers are back on the right track once again and Wallace is determined the progress will continue apace.

 

He said: “The challenge is to keep moving forward as a team, the manager has modern-day techniques.

 

“As captain, it has tied in with how I work anyway and also how I coach at Tynecastle.

 

“Long gone are the days of losing the rag and screaming and shouting, the culture I grew up in when I was a young boy.

 

“The manager here ties in with my style and how I want to captain the boys.

 

“I haven’t had to change, the lads have been really receptive to me and there is no difference in how I am.

 

“It has been an easier transition than I thought, I’ve relished the responsibility.

 

“The manager told me he thought I was right for it, which was huge honour and he just told me to enjoy the responsibility of it. It was a nervous moment but you have to rise to it.

 

“I’ve loved every moment of being captain and couldn’t wait to get back in and get going when we heard the manager and Davie were joining.

 

“Having suffered last season as one of the boys who was hugely involved in the downfall last season and the bad season we had, I knew we had to put things right.

 

“So ever since the news came out about the manager and Davie coming in, then about the names we were going to get, it has all been exciting.

 

“There is a drive to do better and to impress, I’ve enjoyed making a contribution into how successful we’ve been this season. But there is a long way to go and plenty hard work to come.”

 

By the end of the campaign, Wallace could have added Petrofac Training Cup and Scottish Cup medals to his soon to be collected Championship gong.

 

There could also be a personal accolade for the left-back, who is sure to be in the running to be named Rangers’ Player of the Year this term.

 

It says much about the success of Warburton’s side that there are so many candidates to choose from, and the Ibrox skipper is pleased at the way his new team-mates have become accustomed to life at Rangers.

 

Wallace said: “Martyn (Waghorn) and Jason (Holt) have both settled in very quickly here and you can say that about a lot of the guys who came in.

 

“They have all been involved in first-team action and that’s due to how the manager works.

 

“It’s always difficult coming to this club, no matter whether it’s in the First Division or the top flight.

 

“It’s always hard because of the pressure and the expectation. So any individual coming here has to deal with that but you have to enjoy and relish it.

 

“That can bring the best out of you and I think that is what’s happened to the players who have come here.

 

“There’s still a long way to go because we have to get ourselves back to the big time then set new goals.

 

“It speaks volumes about the work that gets done day-in-day-out with the performances we’ve put in on a Saturday.”

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/14385336.Lee_Wallace__I_want_to_finish_my_career_at_Rangers_and_become_a_great_Ibrox_captain/

[ian1964 10,761]

LEE WALLACE insists he has no regrets about seemingly sacrificing his Scotland career to help lead Rangers on the road to recovery.

 

The Ibrox skipper has once again been overlooked by national boss Gordon Strachan for his latest squads for the matches with the Czech Republic and Denmark.

 

Wallace has been a standout performer for Mark Warburton’s side this season as he has captained Rangers to the brink of Championship glory and helped them progress to the Petrofac Training Cup final and Scottish Cup semi-finals.

 

The 28-year-old has not played for his country since a substitute appearance in a Hampden friendly with the United States in November 2013.

 

The fact that he has been playing in Scotland’s lower leagues has often been cited as one of the reasons why Wallace has continually been snubbed for another cap call in recent years.

 

But the left-back has never had any second thoughts about what staying with Rangers through their climb back to the top flight has meant for his international career.

 

Wallace said: “I was asked before if I thought international football would be sacrificed due to my decision to stay at Rangers.

 

“And I said that if that is the case then it’s a fair sacrifice for me. I can look myself in the mirror and happily agree with that.

 

“There hasn’t been a moment’s regret from the minute I chose to stay here, it was all part of a plan and that’s going in the right direction.

 

“If the other side of the football isn’t going to come back into my career and that’s because I’ve stayed here, then I accept that.

 

“I’ve not been involved in the squads for the whole campaign that just passed, so I wasn’t expecting to be in it.

 

“So there’s no point in me talking about a squad I haven’t been in for a long time.

 

“It’s more relevant for me to talk about Rangers, a team I train with every day and a squad I’m involved with.

 

“That’s the best way for me to channel any of my thoughts.

 

“I just concentrate solely on Rangers and that’s the way it’s probably going to have to be from here on in.

 

“I wouldn’t be going out trying my best just to show I’m doing something right, I’m doing it for Rangers and to get this club back to where we should be playing our football.

 

“We’re not too far away from that, it’s about how well I can do for the club and as captain.

 

“I’m learning different aspects of being captain, being a left-back and being a footballer within this system.

 

“I’m enjoying that, I love working with the manager and Davie Weir, I have a great relationship there, so it’s just about how I keep learning and progressing.”

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/14385348.Lee_Wallace_has_no_regrets_over_Rangers_career_after_another_Scotland_snub/

[Bearman 9]

It's a downright disgrace he wasn't selected for his country and good on him to respectfully accept it.

 

I've watched Scotland since I was a kid and followed them down to Wembley many times, but I didn't even watch that friendly last night. Strachan is an arse and a boring one at that.

Edited March 25, 2016 by Bearman

[ian1964 10,761]

It's a downright disgrace he wasn't selected for his country and good on him to respectfully accept it.

 

I've watched Scotland since I was a kid and followed them down to Wembley many times, but I didn't even watch that friendly last night. Strachan is an arse and a boring one at that.

 

Couple that with Holt not getting a chance when McGinn from Hibs gets a call up!,bizarre!

[ian1964 10,761]

[alexscottislegend 2,375]

It's a downright disgrace he wasn't selected for his country and good on him to respectfully accept it.

 

I've watched Scotland since I was a kid and followed them down to Wembley many times, but I didn't even watch that friendly last night. Strachan is an arse and a boring one at that.

 

It's not a disgrace it's just that we now have huge choice of left backs: Robertson, Tierney, Barry Douglas in Turkey who can't get a look in, Shinnie for a start. When we get back to the PL he'll be back; his defensive work is no worse than for example, Robertson's last night.