ALEX McLeish has stressed to current Rangers manager Steven Gerrard the importance of lifting the William Hill Scottish Cup this season ahead of the Ibrox club’s fifth round match against Hamilton away tomorrow.
Winning the Ladbrokes Premiership and stopping Celtic from claiming a record-equalling ninth consecutive Scottish title is the top priority for Rangers this season.
Gerrard and his players have come in for scathing criticism from their supporters in the past fortnight after losing to Hearts away and drawing with Aberdeen at home to fall seven points behind Neil Lennon’s side at the top of the table.
But McLeish, who won the league twice during his four-and-a-half year stint in charge of his boyhood heroes, believes cup glory must also be an objective for the former Liverpool and England midfielder.
Speaking at a Premier Sports media event at Hampden, he said: “Whenever you’re the manager of Celtic or Rangers, it’s important to win a trophy, whether it’s your first year in charge or the third,” he said. “We know Rangers have been fighting a battle to get back up with Celtic, who’ve got away from them in terms of investment and quality.
“However, we’ve seen a Rangers resurgence this year right up until the winter break – again. I don’t think the gap has developed as far this time as it did last year so they still have a chance to snatch the title from Celtic but I think Stevie will be very, very aware that the cup must be on the horizon.”
“That’s the pressure you’re under at the Old Firm. They’re unique in world football because both teams are expected to win every single game they play; those demands are always there.
“My personal experience was of winning the treble in 2002/03 and then following that up with a barren season. That felt like the end of the world to me and that’s how hard you can take it, particularly because you know you haven’t made the fans happy.
“One of your goals when you go to any club is to keep the supporters happy because, if you’re doing that, then you’re obviously winning. Stevie will know that, too.”
Rangers have lost ground on Celtic since play restarted after the winter break for the second season running - but McLeish is confident they can still get back to their best and catch the defending champions.
"In my Aberdeen days Alex Ferguson would take us on a week’s break in between games," he said. "We would fly to Marbella or Mallorca. We would do some warm weather training and maybe have a wee night out.
"We always seemed to do well in the run-in. Alex felt warm winter training was good. Stevie will be tearing his hair out about the fact they have lost a wee bit of ground again. But it is not insurmountable."
Premier Sports is the home of knockout football in Scotland, broadcasting the William Hill Scottish Cup and Betfred Cup. Premier Sports will screen live and exclusive coverage of Hamilton v Rangers tomorrow. Available on Sky, Virgin TV and via the Premier Player. Visit www.premiersports.com for details.
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