ian1964 10,409 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 RANGERS can today confirm the signing of Andy Halliday on a two-year deal, with an option for a third year. The 23-year-old had been on trial with the club after his contract expired with Bradford City at the end of the 2014/15 season. Halliday grew up just metres away from Ibrox and the midfielder was a member of the Rangers Academy until he was 15-year old. He then moved to Livingston, where he started his senior career and made over 30 appearances for the Lions. The youngster then saw himself snapped up by Gordon Strachan at English Championship club Middlesbrough and he spent four years at the Teeside club. During his time with Boro Halliday was loaned out to other English clubs, including Blackpool and Walsall. But it was Bradford who provided the next big step in his young career when he signed for the League One side permanently in the October of last season. Halliday was instrumental in Bradford’s historic FA Cup win over Chelsea 4-2 in the FA Cup – he scored the third goal in a game that has been dubbed one of the biggest cup shocks of all time. Rangers manager Mark Warburton commented: "Andy has done really well for us. At 23, he brings a good number of league appearances here for a young player, and he will add real quality to the squad.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/9633-halliday-is-a-ranger 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,409 Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 I'm Living The Dream RANGERS-daft Andy Halliday lived a childhood dream today as he became Mark Warburton’s latest signing. The 23 year-old spent previously spent time in the Murray Park youth system before being released, but having been given a second opportunity, he revealed it has been something of a surreal experience so far. Speaking to RangersTV.tv, he explained: “I lived on Copland Road when I was young, so Ibrox was near-enough in my back garden! My whole family are mad Rangers fans, and I had a season ticket since I was four years old and had it for 15 or 16 years and followed the team everywhere. “It feels as if a fan has got the chance to play for Rangers, and it has always been my dream, so it will maybe not sink in until I walk out in front of 50,000 fans at Ibrox.” Halliday’s release from Rangers as a youngster hit him harder than most given his immense love for the club, but in hindsight, he admits it turned out to be a good thing. Following a spell out of the game, he was snapped up by coach Scott Allsion at Livingston, and Halliday immediately made an impression in West Lothian before forcing his way into the Lions’ top team. “I stopped playing altogether for around three months when I left Rangers where I just didn’t touch a ball," he said. “Eventually, I just wanted to go to the park with my pals and have a kick about, before Scott convinced me to come out of early retirement to take me to Livingston. “That turned out to be a good decision to do that as I managed to get to play first-team football at an early age. “At the time, being released from Rangers was the worst thing that ever happened in my career, but looking back, it’s probably the best thing to ever happen in my career. “I managed to get away and get football at a young age, and I always knew deep down that there would be a chance that I could come back here, and I’m just happy it’s happened now.” And despite the blow of being released, Halliday revealed he never gave up on his dream of one day running out for Rangers at his beloved Ibrox. “I don’t think I was ever going to give up being honest, even if it went to the later stages of my career,” he explained. “It was always something I wanted to have on my CV – that I’d played for Rangers and thankfully the opportunity has come a lot earlier in my career. “If the club is doing well and I am doing well, then it is a club I can see myself being at for a long time.” “Hopefully it all goes well on the park but we have started to get the foundations to get this club back where it belongs and I am pretty sure it is going to happen in no time.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/9635-halliday-im-living-the-dream 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,409 Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 ANDY Halliday says he would play in goal for Rangers such was his desire to join the club he supported as a boy. The 23-year-old has put pen to paper on a two year deal, which will see him playing at Ibrox, in the shadow of his childhood home. This will in fact be the midfielder’s second spell at the club – he was on Gers books until he was 15-years-old. But having now made over 100 senior appearances across Scotland and England it is with a different challenge that he returns. Halliday told Rangers TV: “It’s always talked about that I am pretty versatile but I don’t really care where I play at this club, I would be in goals if they wanted me to be! “I suppose it was quite odd coming back here. I’m 23 and still quite young and it was a little bit strange as I had concrete offers elsewhere. “But even getting a slim chance of coming back to play for your boyhood heroes, it was never something I was going to turn down. “I’m confident enough in my own ability that I’m going to add something, so thankfully I’ve come in and done well, and that’s credit to the boys and the staff here as they helped me settle in so quickly. “That meant it was comfortable for me to go and do my stuff, and thankfully it’s led to this and I was always going to be confident coming back here. “I don’t even know what it will feel like to walk out at Ibrox; you’d have to ask me nearer the time. “It will be surreal, I know that, because I’ve been going there to support Rangers all these years, so it will be weird but I am looking forward to pulling on that blue jersey, getting on and doing my thing. “There will be a full house of Hallidays that day and whoever does the tickets here is going to have a pest on their hands because I’ll want a lot!” Halliday becomes Mark Warburton’s fourth signing of the summer and even at a young age he has experience to draw on battling in the Championship and League One in England. He has been training with the Light Blues since they returned for pre-season and having witnessed the new manager’s achievements down south he is raring to go under his leadership. Halliday said: “The gaffer is someone who I have seen close-up, and with the style of play that he and Davie play, I think it can help get the best out of me. “Likewise, that can help the boys around us. We’re three weeks into our pre-season, and already the standard of quality has risen massively. “It was a good game we got the other day against Ayr and the things we’re doing in training, we’re starting to put into games, so it will be another good test for us on Tuesday when we play Burnley. “I am just happy to be here but I see my best position as in midfield and I would like to get goals back into my game. “I like to get on the ball, get stuff moving and try and create things for the team but I don’t mind doing the dirty stuff too – if you’re brought up in Ibrox you need to learn that! “I am looking forward to it and the standard of football has been really good, especially the last week when the boys have got going and we’re all raring to go now.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/9636-andy-id-go-in-goal-for-gers 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunslinger 3,366 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Great news 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,254 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Now we need to get a couple of strikers in who can get 25 goals each next season 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,239 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Now we need to get a couple of strikers in who can get 25 goals each next season Talk of the town is Stevie May of Wednesday and Waghorn of Wigan. We'll have to wait and see if there is more substance to that in the coming days. And it is very much open whether either is a 25-goal striker in the Championship. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinstein 294 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Talk of the town is Stevie May of Wednesday and Waghorn of Wigan. We'll have to wait and see if there is more substance to that in the coming days. And it is very much open whether either is a 25-goal striker in the Championship. as long as they get supplied ! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Should hopefully prove to be an excellent signing. Welcome back Andy! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Talk of the town is Stevie May of Wednesday and Waghorn of Wigan. We'll have to wait and see if there is more substance to that in the coming days. And it is very much open whether either is a 25-goal striker in the Championship. I was looking at Waghorns stats yesterday and they are totally not impressive. spent a lot of time at Wigan as Sub simply because he is not a goalscorer. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhunter 0 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 I was looking at Waghorns stats yesterday and they are totally not impressive. spent a lot of time at Wigan as Sub simply because he is not a goalscorer. this is quite an interesting read on Waghorn. http://thisnorthernsoul.co.uk/2014/02/a-leicester-fans-view-of-martyn-waghorn/ 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.