Steven Thompson tells new Rangers signings to ‘step up’ ahead of Celtic clash
Steven Thompson has said that all of Rangers’ new signings this summer need to “step up” ahead of their first Old Firm derby on Sunday 3 September.
Michael Beale made nine new additions to his side throughout the summer transfer window but so far the Light Blues have struggled to bear the fruit of their labours, having mixed results domestically and missing out on the Champions League group stage.
Former Rangers forward Thompson believes the time has come for the new signings at Ibrox to up the ante and match the high expectations set by the Ibrox club.
Speaking to BBC Sport, with quotes via the Daily Record (2 September), he said: “The jury is out on the new signings. We’re still only three league games into the season and we’re waiting to see who will grab their chance out of the new signings.
“But the likes of Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima, Kieran Dowell and Jose Cifuentes have got to step up. Because they’re now at a massive club where the expectation is more than they’ve ever had in their careers previously.”
No better chance to step up
Few games are bigger in the Rangers’ football calendar than Old Firm matches and therefore all players donning the Light Blues shirt couldn’t have a better opportunity to step up and make their mark at Ibrox than Sunday’s (3 September) clash with Celtic.
The pressure has increased on everyone involved in the Rangers squad because of the amount of investment and turnover throughout the summer, but now the window closed it may be the perfect chance for the side to settle down and relax into some form.
Celtic haven’t been in excellent form themselves so far this season and before the defeat to PSV, Beale’s side were viewed as the marginal favourites by a majority of pundits, so they have to make their advantage count so early in the season.
Whoever is chosen to lead the line out of the host of new additions will be forgiven for their early season struggles should they manage to find the net against their Glasgow rivals and that should be an opportunity which is welcome rather than feared.
In other Rangers news, the details of Stoke’s late approach for Ben Davies have been revealed