Danny Wilson, the Rangers defender, believes youngsters in the game should follow the example of his team-mate, Barrie McKay, who has proved that self-belief and hard work can carry you to the top.
McKay, who won the PFA Scotland Goal of the Season award on Sunday, has been a revelation for the Championship winners this season, despite having apparently been close to the Ibrox exit doors under previous regimes. He made a first team breakthrough four years ago, at the start of Rangers’ wilderness years in the lower echelons of Scottish football but his progress stalled and he was farmed out on loan.
It looked as if his Rangers career was petering out but Mark Warburton, who took over as manager in the summer, spotted something in the raw winger he felt he could develop and has brought out the best of him. McKay has been one of the major reasons for Rangers’ success this season.
Wilson knows what it is like to tipped for greatness at a young age. He too has had to rebuild a career that seemed to be going nowhere after the huge initial impression he made with Rangers let to him being capped for Scotland and making a lucrative move to Liverpool that did not work out. Two winners’ medals in a row in the Championship with Hearts and Rangers have raised his confidence.
Wilson, helping to promote Rangers’ new Youth Members Club, used McKay as an example why younger players should never give up. He said: “When he came back [to Ibrox after a loan spell at Morton] last summer, it was going to go one of two ways for him; to his credit, he’s been one of our best players this season.
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“When you are young and things don’t quite go for you, it’s easy to throw the toys out of the pram and say ‘this manager doesn’t fancy me’. But every manager has a different opinion and, fortunately for Barrie, our manager saw something in him.
“I was fortunate to be put into the team when I was, and the manager [Walter Smith] stood by me. The young players we have need to show the manager they’re worthy of the chance. With any young players there has to be an opportunity given but they have to merit it. They can’t just be put on the park for the sake of it.”
McLeish leaves Zamalek
Alex McLeish has left Zamalek after just 65 days in charge and became the fifth manager to depart the Egyptian club this season under their eccentric president Mortada Mansour. The former Rangers and Scotland manager had led the Cairo club to the African Champions League quarter-finals and had a 60 per cent win rate.
He found his position untenable after Mansour sacked his No 2 Frank Nuttall at the weekend after just a few weeks at the club — the Scot had been brought in from Gor Mahia, the Kenyan champions — along with another member of the coaching staff, and replaced them with Egyptians Gamal Abdel-Hameed and Mohamed Helmy.
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Then McLeish’s personal translator was dismissed.
Saints switch for Watson
Keith Watson, the St Mirren defender, has secured a return to the top flight, having agreed a two-year deal with St Johnstone. The 26-year-old former Dundee United right back signed a pre-contract agreement a few weeks ago but it was kept under wraps until his current club’s Ladbrokes Championship campaign was over.
Tommy Wright, the St Johnstone manager, said: “Keith’s very much a Premiership player; he’s very
keen to get back into this division. Once we let him and St Mirren know of our interest the deal was done very quickly. I tried to sign him previously, when he left United to go on loan to Hibs. We’ve watched him a lot this season. He’s got good Premiership experience and is a good age.”