Sorcerer's apprentice full of praise for Ally after magic moment

[ian1964 10,457]

KANE Hemmings today paid tribute to Rangers manager Ally McCoist for helping him overcome his scoring drought and net his first goal for the club.

 

The 21-year-old slotted home a superb strike in the second half of the emphatic 4-1 win over Glasgow rivals Queen's Park at Hampden on Sunday afternoon.

 

Apart from helping his team win the game, his fine effort was meaningless as the Irn-Bru Third Division title had already been sewn up the week before.

 

However, it was still a special moment for the striker. It is one he will, no matter what he goes on to achieve in his career, never forget.

 

For it was the first time in nine appearances for the Glasgow club, he has been a player there for three years, that he had managed to get his name on the score sheet.

 

Having passed up chances in games against Annan at home and Montrose away â?? in his first two starts for the Gers â?? it also silenced many of his critics.

 

And the boy from Burton-on-Trent has thanked McCoist, a lethal predator in his own playing days, for ensuring he got through the difficult spell.

 

Hemmings explained: "The manager does specific work with myself and the other strikers at the club in training and before and after games.

 

"If I am not in the right area in a certain situation, if I don't move where I should have as play develops, he is not slow in telling me about it.

 

"After games he will say 'You should have been there' or he will suggest 'You should have done this' or he will tell me 'You should have gone there'.

 

"I'm not going to argue with him about it. He's the most successful striker in the history of the club.

 

"It has been great for me having him at the club. He has helped me develop as a player and he has helped me, and the whole team, get through this difficult spell we have had.

 

"The boss has just stressed to us that the performances and results haven't been there in the last few weeks. But we knew that within ourselves.

 

"The gaffer just told us to keep working hard in training and in matches and assured us that the results and the goals will come in the next few games. He has been proved right."

 

Hemmings, who failed to score in five first-team appearances as a sub last season, feels he and his young team-mates will benefit from criticism they have received.

 

Rangers fans were seething when their full-time team crashed to an unbelievable 2-1 defeat to part-time minnows Annan at Ibrox and then drew 0-0 with Montrose at Links Park.

 

McCoist had a huge injury list to contend with during the difficult spell, and had to put his faith in Murray Park graduates Hemmings, Robbie Crawford, Kal Naismith and others.

 

Still, Hemmings reckons they will all be stronger mentally after being booed off the field by their own fans.

 

He said: "It is all part of the learning experience of being a young player. If we can come through this as a team we will definitely be stronger.

 

"For the young lads in the team, it will stand us in good stead. I believe we have shown good strength of character to come out of it."

 

Hemmings, who has been plagued by injuries during his time in Glasgow, feels he was helped greatly by a loan spell to First Division club Cowdenbeath earlier this year.

 

He scored four goals in seven games for Colin Cameron's part-timers â?? his first in senior football â?? before being recalled by manager McCoist.

 

The youngster said: "I don't know how the gaffer thinks or whether me going to Cowdenbeath and scoring a few goals this season influenced him picking me.

 

"But, in many respects, going to Cowdenbeath was helpful. It certainly helped me get my fitness up to the levels required to play in the first team. I had suffered a recurrence of my knee injury at the start of the season and that put me out until November. Playing games helped me get match sharpness.

 

"The fact the goals came was an added bonus. I was just trying to find my feet."

 

Hemmings made his debut for Gers last season in an ill-fated Champions League qualifier against Malmo when he came on for Juanma Ortiz.

 

That night in Sweden seems a lifetime ago given all that the English lad has been through on and off the park in the 20 months since then. So he had no qualms about helping McCoist's men celebrate victory in the fourth tier at the end of last month â?? even though the triumph came about in unusual circumstances. Rangers won the league when second-placed Queen's Park lost to Elgin City at Hampden â?? despite their disappointing draw with Montrose in Angus earlier in the day.

 

Hemmings said: "It was a strange one. Everyone was down because we drew a game we knew we should have won.

 

"Winning the league, and hopefully promotion, was our ultimate objective this season. So to do that was a pretty positive experience. Hopefully it is the first of many for us."

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/exclusive-sorcerers-apprentice-full-of-praise-for-ally-after-magic-120733n.20740525

[the gunslinger 3,366]

good to read about ally actually doing some coaching. I think the lad looks promising. strong, quick and confident. if his fitness and finishing improve he could do well.

[GovanAllan 0]

Would have Ally as a forwards coach any day.

[Max Rebo's Big Blue Nose 0]

I have to take issue with the original story. Hemmings hardly had goalscoring "drought" did he? For goodness sakes, he's played about 5 minutes in the first team without scoring and this joker labels it a drought.