“If there’s ever a fan base that’s probably earned the right to vent their frustrations, it’s this one.”
Rangers interim head coach Steven Smith insists they are determined to give the fans a performance against Dundee United, acknowledging the “period of pain” they have been through.
The U19 coach, who had two spells at Ibrox as a player, will take the team for Saturday’s Scottish Premiership return as the board close in on appointing Kevin Muscat as Russell Martin’s successor.
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Kevin Muscat spent a season on loan at Rangers in 2002/03
Rangers currently sit eighth in the table and have yet to win a league game at Ibrox this season. Smith hopes they can make the supporters “happy” against United.
“I think it’s understandable the mood was probably low in the first day. Loads of boys away in our national duty, but I’d like to think that the sessions that we’ve put on have lifted the mood,” he said.
“That’s not to say that we’ve just been doing sessions that the players enjoy.
“There’s been a bit of work put into them because it’s been a different group, different schedules. But the mood’s lifted and I think you could sense yesterday and today that there’s now the reality of a game, which is good.
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Russell Martin was sacked as Rangers head coach just 123 days into his tenure at Ibrox. A 1-1 draw against Falkirk proved to be his final act in charge after supporters had once again shown their frustration with him
“There’s been a period of pain and they’ve [the fans] had to suffer a lot. So if there’s ever a fan base that’s probably earned the right to vent their frustrations, it’s this one. And I understand it.
“I think there comes a point where they know when you need them, but there comes a point where the group of players and staff need to take that on board and they need to give them something back.
“So we’ll be looking to give them a performance tomorrow that makes them happy.”
It’s been a frustrating start to the season for Rangers
When questioned on his training sessions with the first-team, the 40-year-old insisted he has stuck to his principles.
“I trust the work that I do. I trust the sessions that I’ve put on in the academy,” the former defender added.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve been coaching since I was 30, since basically I stopped playing.
“So I’ve had 10, 12 years of coaching. I obviously played the game for a long period so I would like to think I’ve got that knowledge of what players like, but also the fact that you don’t just give them what they want.
“They have to work as well, so there’s a lot of thought that goes into it.
“Something that I probably wouldn’t be comfortable asking the players what they want because I think if you go down that road then it can be a wee bit shaky.”
Kevin Muscat won a domestic treble as a Rangers player
Smith was coming through the youth system at Rangers when incoming head coach Muscat was a player and only has positive memories.
“I was a young player, so I only came across him a few times,” he said.
“When I was a young player, my job used to be to clean Alex McLeish’s boots and the coaching staff’s.
“I used to pass him in the corridor. As a person, it was really pleasant. I know there’s a reputation there as a player.
“But the communication I had with him was always very pleasant to the younger players.”
