Mark Hateley: Rangers must play strongest team every game, fans demand
Mark Hateley believes that Rangers have to go all out to win the three trophies available to them and play their best team every game to do so.
The ex-Ibrox goalscorer knows all about trophies from his success-filled time with the club during the 1990s, and cannot accept the team easing up on one front to aid their push on another.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has his men three points behind Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership and 3-0 up ahead of the return leg of the Europa League last-16, while the side travel to Dundee this afternoon (Sunday 13 March) for the Scottish Cup quarterfinal.
Promoting Premier Sports‘ coverage of the cup match, the 60-year-old said, via the Scottish Sun: “In the history of Rangers it’s all about trophies.
“The club and fans expect to be in finals every year. In my time if we didn’t have two trophies at the end of the season your job was in jeopardy.
“Winning the league is massive this season with the Champions League spot and the money that brings.
“Rangers have the league, Cup and Europa League to win this season.
“The fans demand you do well in every competition and then win the league. That’s the way it has always been.
“There are no grey areas, you have to look to win every competition you enter at Rangers.
“They have to go all out for everything and you always play your strongest team in every game for the rest of the season.”
Crunch time
The club has been on a long journey down and back up since Hateley’s heyday but some things haven’t changed.
If van Bronckhorst finishes the season without one trophy at a minimum then his job may well be in jeopardy.
Depending on which one it is he may be struggling to cling on even if he does secure one.
Either the league title or the Europa League, and the Champions League qualification that each provides respectively, looks necessary from this point.
And although they are reigning champions and clearly have a far greater pedigree in the SFPL it is Europe that looks most likely right now.
Gers have been sputtering domestically for some weeks, and it’s a positive they are still only a result away from drawing level at the top.
In contrast they have been in fine form on the continent, outclassing the favourites Dortmund and well ahead against Red Star Belgrade.
The call to play the best team in every game sounds like madness however, as the players have already shown they don’t have the intensity in stock for multiple competitions.
The manager has only just started to bring his squad back to the fore so he doesn’t need any encouragement to fall back on his preferred XI again.
In other Rangers news, Red Star’s ex-manager was completely blown away by Ibrox and this Light Blues side.