On-loan Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty claims club legends have backed him to still make it at Ibrox.
The former Hamilton Academical man is on-loan at Shrewsbury Town and looking to impress Steven Gerrard. The 21-year-old fell out of favour as Gerrard brought in 12 new signings over the summer in a total overhaul.
It’s left Docherty out in the lurch and needing opportunities. It would be easy for the midfielder to crawl into his shell and fade into Rangers obscurity. However, Docherty has claimed he has the support of Rangers legends such as John Greig and Derek Johnstone, who’ve offered words of encouragement.
When it came to making my decision, I spoke to a lot of ex-players and legends at the club. John Greig pulled me aside one day. I also had chats with Richard Gough and Derek Johnstone. They’re proper Rangers legends and I told them how I was thinking. When I asked them about going out on loan, they all encouraged me to do it.
The supportive words from such Rangers greats is sure to give Docherty a real boost heading into a big season at Shrewsbury Town.
Tough shift
However, despite the heavy backing the youngster has, there’s no doubting his position in the squad is under threat. Ryan Jack, Ovie Ejaria and Scott Arfield have been preferred starters in the central roles. However, outside of that, there’s also Lassana Coulibaly, Graham Dorrans, and Andy Halliday as cover.
Breaking into the squad will therefore be tough for the former Hamilton man, who was signed by Graeme Murty in January 2018.
The midfielder made controversial comments last week by claiming he’s looking up to Celtic star Callum McGregor. There appears to be no lack of confidence or fear in Docherty’s comments to the media.
However, he’ll have to have patience as Gerrard continues to mould his Rangers side in his own image.