Nothing but the best: Second in Championship not enough for Rangers according to skipper

LEE WALLACE reckons anything less than winning the Championship is not an option for Rangers this season.

 

For Rangers captain Lee Wallace only a title win will leave him satisfied

 

And the Gers skipper insists they are ready to face fans’ expectations head-on and fight for the title.

As far as he is concerned, hiding from the pressure they now find themselves under is simply not the Rangers way.

And as they prepare for a crunch clash with Hibs, Wallace is confident there is enough character in the dressing room to complete the job this time.

He said: “Maybe we’re under a different pressure (to Hibs). There is no second here.

“Our aim after the setbacks of last year, and the initial setback of being put in the league we were put in, was to realise there is no room for second.

 

“We have the characters in the dressing room because I’ve seen and heard the feedback from them. It’s an honest group.

“They’re working with a manager who will teach them a lot. The fact that clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham are lending their players to us suggests they think they will improve here.

“They have the mentality to do the job but we need to go out there and prove it.”

Rangers romped to 11 straight wins at the start of the season but have dropped 10 points in their last six games.

Their lead has been all but eroded by Hibs, with only goal difference keeping the Gers top.

 

Wallace will lead his side out against title contenders Hibs on Monday

 

Defeat at the hands of the capital side on Monday would knock the Light Blues off the summit for the first time this term.

But Wallace said: “In terms of pressure, there is pressure on us every day. We are Rangers. We realise and accept the scrutiny so the pressure ahead of this game is no different to the day in, day out, pressure we have as Rangers players, whether it’s away from the field or on the pitch.

“We are fully focused and will have a calmness to try and win the game.

“You use criticism from any quarter as motivation. We’re not going to curl up into a ball and be scared and hide. That’s certainly not the Rangers way.

“We’re a young, evolving team who are maybe being exposed to some of this stuff now, whereas at the start of the season these guys weren’t.

“Everything was nice and rosy – we were winning games and playing what we deem to be the best way of playing the game.

 

“We remain undefeated at home and we’re aiming to stay at the top of the league for as long as possible.”

There’s no doubt winning the top-of-the-table tussle at Ibrox would mean a massive psychological boost for whoever comes out on top.

But what sort of impact does Wallace expect the result to have on the eventual destination of the title?

“Probably none, just like the last time we played them,” said the defender.

“We lost that game and it didn’t have any significance in terms of who’s going to go on and win the league. We’re level on points and there’s far too much football to be played – too many twists and turns to come.

“But we can’t wait to take to the field and play in front of our home support.

“We are well aware that we’ve dropped below our usual standards. In every game we set out to win, and win well, so we can send the fans home happy. We really hope to do that on Monday.”