Rangers interim boss wants players to give back to fans | OneFootball

Rangers interim boss Steven Smith insists his players must start giving something back to the supporters ahead of their league clash with Dundee United on Saturday afternoon.

It’s been a campaign to forget so far for Rangers, who sit eighth in the Scottish Premiership table with just one win from seven games.

They also matched their worst-ever European defeat earlier in the season, suffering a 9-1 aggregate loss to Club Brugge in the Champions League play-offs.

After 17 games in charge, Russell Martin was sacked earlier this month, with under-19 boss Smith, who had two spells at Ibrox as a player, stepping in on an interim basis.

“There has been a period of pain,” Smith told a press conference on Friday morning. “The fans have had to suffer a lot.

“It works both ways. I think they know we need them, but there comes a point where the players and staff need to take it on board.

"We need to give them something back. We want to give them a performance tomorrow that makes them happy.”

Former Rangers defender Kevin Muscat, currently coaching in the Chinese Super League, is believed to be closing in on the permanent role.

“I only came across him a few times," Smith added. when asked about the leading candidate.

"When I was a young player my job was to clean boots, so I used to pass him in the corridor.

“As a person [he was] really pleasant. I know there’s a reputation there as a player, but the communication I had with him was always very pleasant.”

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