Itâ??s sink or swim..and Durrantyâ??s kept Ibrox kids afloat

[ian1964 10,416]

ROBBIE CRAWFORD reckons Rangersâ?? rising stars would have sunk without a trace but for Ian Durrant.

 

Against a backdrop of internal strife, the threat of civil war looms large over a troubled Ibrox.

 

Gers may have swept to the Third Division championship, but controversial chief executive Charles Green has undermined manager Ally McCoist with the sackings of their physio Pip Yeates, chief scout Neil Murray and striker Fran Sandaza in a two-week rampage.

 

Claims that first-team coach Durrant and McCoistâ??s trusted No2 Kenny McDowall could be next to go were denied by the embattled Rangers boss.

 

But the timing of the reports only added to the uncertainty surrounding the club.

 

At just 20, it would have been unfair to put young Crawford on the spot yesterday morning.

 

Yet he spoke with maturity and authority when asked to name those whoâ??ve helped him and the rest of the Ibrox kids through their debut rollercoaster campaign. Crawford confessed: â??Itâ??s been a massive learning curve this season â?? with everything thatâ??s gone on.

 

â??The young boys were thrown in and it was a case of sink or swim. You didnâ??t really have a chance to think about anything, you just had to get on with it.

 

â??Thatâ??s where guys like Ian Durrant were brilliant.

 

â??They would spend a lot of time with the younger players and they were always there when you needed them.

 

â??Lee McCulloch was also good for the younger lads.

 

â??Ian would take all your questions and he was just always there.

 

â??You learn a lot about yourself when youâ??re pitched into a situation like we found ourselves in.

 

â??Guys like Ian know the football club inside out so he helps you appreciate the size and history.

 

â??The young boys have come through the youth team together so we know what itâ??s all about. That said, itâ??s still a big step up.â?

 

McCoist and his players were left fuming before Sundayâ??s 4-1 mauling of Queenâ??s Park when Green repeated his claim that the current Gers side is the worst in the clubâ??s history.

 

McCoist threw down a â??show us your medalsâ?? challenge to his CEO, while Crawford insists Gersâ?? Hampden romp PROVES theyâ??re not a team of duds.

 

Midfielder Crawf said: â??You have to put that to one side.

 

â??We just have to worry about our own performances.

 

â??Everyone will have their own opinions, we donâ??t believe it.

 

â??We donâ??t worry about it either, we just get on with it. The pressure was off at the weekend and we showed what a good team we are.â?

 

Crawford admits he hasnâ??t drawn breath since first-team football was foisted upon him at Ibrox.

 

He added: â??Itâ??s been an incredible past year.

 

â??This time a year ago I was holding down a place in the Under-19 team not knowing if Iâ??d be offered a new deal. Everything has changed. I donâ??t think Iâ??ve taken it all in.

 

â??Itâ??s hard to look back and try and digest it because throughout the course of the campaign your focus is always the next game.

 

â??Thatâ??s what Iâ??ve tried to do at least. Maybe in the summer Iâ??ll have time and a chance to reflect on everything and try and learn from it.

 

â??This year has been something else. You can only learn from it.â?

 

And while he knows McCoist is destined to strengthen when Gersâ?? transfer ban is lifted, Crawford hopes he still has a part to play next season.

 

He said: â??I know the manager will bring in new players over the summer. That was always going to happen.

 

â??Youâ??ve just got to hope that he doesnâ??t forget about you. Itâ??s my job to ensure he doesnâ??t.

 

â??The manager has shown a lot of faith in the young boys.

 

â??Heâ??s had to because of the situation at the club.

 

â??But I think weâ??ve responded really well and hopefully we can kick on for next season.

 

â??The fact weâ??ve won the title I hope will be enough to stay in the managerâ??s plans for next year.

 

â??Weâ??re treated as first-team players now so the aim is to kick on for next season.â?

 

Crawford was thrilled to help Rangers wrap up the Third Division title.

 

He beamed: â??It was great just to get over the line in terms of actually winning the championship.

 

â??It was a bit of a relief in the end to be honest.

 

â??Our performances hadnâ??t been great leading up to it but we managed to get it done and thatâ??s the most important thing.

 

â??I think the fact the title is now out of the way really helped us at the weekend.

 

â??We played very well against Queenâ??s Park and deserved the win.

 

â??Perhaps the real big difference is the pressure is now off us.

 

â??We can now go and play football without the fear.â?

 

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