Macleod, McKay & Crawford sign extended deals.

[Blue Moon 1,113]

Great news for the club.

 

 

THREE of Rangersâ?? most promising talents have pledged their long term futures to the club today.

 

 

Lewis Macleod, Barrie McKay and Robbie Crawford have all agreed extended deals with the Light Blues following a promising start to the season.

 

Macleod has started all eight games that Ally McCoistâ??s side has played this season while McKay has also featured at some stage in each of those outings.

 

Crawford has been a regular on the subs bench, making four appearances in total, including his top team debut as a sub in the first match of the campaign against Brechin.

 

18-year-old Macleod and 19-year-old Crawford have both put pen to paper on contracts that will keep them with Scotlandâ??s most successful club until the summer of 2017.

 

Both have been with the club for a number of years, developing their talents at Auchenhowie and now have the opportunity to blossom in the first team.

 

McKay, 17, has also pledged his future to the club for another five years after arriving from Kilmarnock in the summer of 2011.

 

Both McKay and Macleod have represented Scotland at various youth levels, with each taking part in this weekâ??s 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands at under-19 level.

 

As you can see from our exclusive picture above, Ally McCoist is delighted to have secured the long term future of his trio of talented youngsters.

[kuznetsov 0]

been on the table for a while. their appearance bonus is more than their weekly wage! lol good on them.

[Zappa 0]

Brilliant news!!

[Rangers Football Club 0]

LEWIS Macleod is delighted to have agreed a long term deal that will keep him with Rangers until the summer of 2017.

 

 

The talented 18-year-old joined Robbie Crawford and Barrie McKay in pledging his long term future to the Light Blues today.

 

Midfielder Macleod has started all eight games played by Ally McCoistâ??s side this season and he admits he wouldnâ??t want to be playing his football anywhere else.

 

He said: â??Itâ??s brilliant. I wouldnâ??t want to sign anywhere else so to be here at Rangers is great. Iâ??ve been here since I was ten so itâ??s been a long time and a big part of my life.â?

 

Macleod was tipped to make the break in to the first team last season after appearing on the bench in the run in to the SPL season.

 

However his first outing didnâ??t come until he was included in McCoistâ??s starting lineup against Brechin at the end of July.

 

He hasnâ??t looked back since and his experiences of playing in front of a packed house at Ibrox have been moments he has relished.

 

Macleod added: â??Playing week in and week out in front of almost 50,000 fans has been great. Itâ??s a big difference from playing under-19s football.

 

â??The tempo is much higher but when you play with better players I think you improve yourself. I think that has helped a lot of aspects of my game.â?

 

Macleod has also had the benefit of advice from two men who have plenty of experience of his central midfield role.

 

New captain Lee McCulloch has helped play a part in Macleodâ??s development but it was Ian Durrant who appeared most excited by his emergence last season.

 

â??He has got the experience from doing it himself and itâ??s always great to get advice from people like that,â? said Macleod.

 

â??All the coaches have been great and the more experienced players like Lee McCulloch help you along too, and for me heâ??s been great because heâ??s played the same position.â?

[Tumshie RFC 0]

Great news especially with McKay's contract being up at the end of the season.

[craig 5,195]

been on the table for a while. their appearance bonus is more than their weekly wage! lol good on them.

 

I actually like contracts structured this way - motivates these guys to better themselves and then perform when in the team

[Rangers Football Club 0]

BARRIE McKay is looking forward to a bright future after pledging the next five years of his career to Rangers.

 

 

The 17-year-old forward was one of three Gers youngsters to agree deals today to stay at Ibrox until at least the summer of 2017.

 

He has appeared in all eight of the Light Bluesâ?? matches this season and scored against Peterhead in the clubâ??s first Third Division outing.

 

It has been a meteoric rise for the young forward, who only arrived at Auchenhowie from Kilmarnock last summer.

 

The change in fortune for the Scotland under-19 international is not lost on him.

 

He said: â??I didnâ??t start off here but Iâ??m delighted that I came here and Iâ??m pleased that my future is here.

 

â??The facilities here are obviously much better and playing with better players is a big thing.

 

â??There is more pressure, but thatâ??s something that you need to be able to deal with.

 

â??When I first came here my target was to be starting for the under-19 team, but then I was training with the first team.

 

â??That was a great experience and itâ??s great when people put their faith in you.â?

 

McKay has already wowed Rangers supporters with some of his early displays in Ally McCoistâ??s side and he admits that support from the Ibrox crowd is something he loves to feed off.

 

He added: â??The more you get on the ball, the more enjoyment you get out of football so when fans are backing you it helps to build the confidence.

 

â??Itâ??s great that right now weâ??ve got a group at the same age getting in to the squad and having our futures shorted is great.

 

â??We can all go through it together rather than on our own and that will be great for us all.â?

[Rangers Football Club 0]

ALLY McCOIST played a pivotal role in securing new long-term contracts for youngsters Lewis Macleod, Barrie McKay and Robbie Crawford â?? because he feels they deserve it.

 

 

The Rangers boss wanted all three exciting prospects to feel they were first team players and on equal footing with the other squad members.

 

And he sincerely hopes the trio will fully develop into top players for the club in years to come.

 

Macleod, McKay and Crawford have all pledged their futures to Rangers for the next five years.

 

McCoist told RangersTV: â??Iâ??m particularly pleased at this piece of business because itâ??s important we secure our young players.

 

â??These three lads have been heavily involved with us since the start of the season and weâ??re delighted they have pledged their long-term futures to the club.

 

â??Itâ??s something we have been working on for a number of months now. I just felt that the three of them should be treated exactly the same as the other players in the squad.

 

â??They are all good friends, they have come through the ranks together and now they are in and around the first team.

 

â??So I felt if we could get them all tied up collectively it would be good for all of us.

 

â??They are all good players and we are delighted with the progress they are making.

 

â??There is a long way to go in their careers but things are going nicely right now.

 

â??Lewis has had more game time than the other two but they will all have their opportunities.â?

 

[kuznetsov 0]

I actually like contracts structured this way - motivates these guys to better themselves and then perform when in the team

 

i agree mate 100%.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

excellent news.