Rangers caretaker boss Graeme Murty wants all his players to take responsibility

CARETAKER manager Graeme Murty has had the Rangers players making all the right noises as they prepare for the visit of Partick Thistle.

The club’s development coach is holding the fort for the second time this year while the search for a replacement for recently sacked Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha continues, and he is looking for an increase in accountability.

Murty kept his cards close to his chest when asked who will captain his side in the Ladbrokes Premiership game against the Jags – veteran striker Kenny Miller was skipper last week in the 3-1 away win against Hearts but Portuguese defender Bruno Alves is back from suspension.

However, he stressed his desire for all the players to take responsibility.

“Having been captain I like people who are strong enough to hold others to account and I don’t think that has just got to be the captain,” he said. “All the players should be encouraged to do that.

“This week we have tried to reinforce that with the players. It has been louder, more vocal and something I have really enjoyed watching, that the players have taken that bit of information from myself and JJ (Jonatan Johansson) on board, that they need to start upping that level of accountability and they have done that.

“It is not just down to one voice, not just down to myself or the captain, all players are aware of it and all players can drive standards forward from the oldest to the youngest.

“I am as hard on Jamie Barjonas for that as I am with Kenny. Jamie has a voice, he needs to learn to use it because there’s going to be 50,000 at Ibrox, you are not going to be able to hear me from the sideline.

“Players need to take ownership of that and start to hold each other to account and push that standard forward and they have done that this week.”

Murty is delighed to have Ryan Jack available after the midfielder had another red card rescinded.

A Scottish Football Association fast-track hearing overturned Jack’s dismissal for his clash with Kilmarnock defender Kirk Broadfoot.

The former Aberdeen player has been sent off three times this season but two red cards have now been overturned on appeal.

Thistle boss Alan Archibald was quoted in a number of newspapers describing the disciplinary process as a “shambles” in the wake of the decision.

Murty said: “The ongoing processes with the SFA will be open to scrutiny. Everyone will have an opinion and will be one side or the other. They will really hate it or they will really love it as their club gets a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

“At the moment I think it is fantastic, next week if something goes wrong it will be horrible and that’s the reality of football.

“And actually the SFA are in a really bad position because they can’t win.”