‘As It Stands, I Plan to Take Training Tomorrow’: Steven Smith Enters Void After Disappointing Draw
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – Rangers interim manager Steven Smith offered a stark assessment of his position and the club’s current turmoil following a frustrating 2-2 draw with Dundee United, admitting he is living moment-to-moment with the club’s managerial search ongoing. The result, secured only by a late James Tavernier equaliser, left the Ibrox side languishing further in the league and compounded the sense of institutional crisis at the club.
Smith, the club’s Under-19 coach who stepped in following the sacking of Russell Martin, was asked directly in his post-match press conference about his immediate future, particularly with frontrunner Kevin Muscat potentially delayed in taking the role. His response encapsulated the current uncertainty gripping Ibrox.
“As it stands now, I plan to take training tomorrow, yeah,” Smith said, his statement highlighting the current void at the top. “Honestly, I’ve gone day by day. I have not thought any further ahead than Dundee United because that would have been disrespectful. My focus was always on this game, and that has to be the players’ focus too. It shouldn’t matter who the manager is; as a group of players, they need to be leaders and find a way to turn results.”
The former Rangers player did not hide his disappointment in the performance, which saw the team lead 1-0 at half-time before conceding two quick goals early in the second half, a pattern that has plagued the side this season.
“We played at a good level in the first half, good intensity. Probably a wee bit frustrated at half-time that we weren’t more than one goal up,” he explained. “Then the game changed in the second half, and we didn’t change with it. To go from the level in the first half, where you think you should be two or three goals up, to coming away at the end where you’re probably lucky to get a point, is quite frustrating.”
The draw, which leaves Rangers with a poor home record this season, was met with a chorus of boos from the Ibrox faithful at the final whistle. Smith acknowledged the fans’ frustration and put the onus on the players to show more resolve.
“It hurts, and it should hurt. There’s no getting away from that,” he said. “They know in the changing room what they need to do to get better. It’s up to that group now to galvanise each other and stick together and move on. When you don’t win, you need to take responsibility.”
With a crucial Europa League clash against Brann fast approaching, the board’s perceived delay in appointing a permanent manager has left Smith in limbo and the team in an unknown position. For the time being, the veteran coach will prepare the squad as best he can, operating on a 24-hour cycle while the Ibrox hierarchy attempts to finally bring an end to the club’s leadership crisis. His “as it stands” claim serves as a sobering reminder of the instability currently rocking Rangers Footba
ll Club.
Leave a Reply