Former Rangers defender Steven Smith has spoken to the Scottish Herald about his recent return to the club.
The 34-year-old enjoyed two spells at Ibrox as a player, most recently between 2013 and 2015, but injuries ravaged his career and he hung up his boots having been released by Kilmarnock in 2018.
On the invitation of Kevin Thompson, he returned to the Hummel Training Centre recently to take an Academy session and was blown away by the newly revamped facility.
“It was nice to be back in again and it gave me a buzz to see the facilities and the pitches that they have got,” Smith told the Scottish Herald. “It is an unbelievable place. It was a really good setup when I was there but it has moved up a notch again with the new stand and the other work.”
“It is just standards and Steven’s standards are so high. But you have got to give credit to the Rangers board and the RYDC for providing the money to improve the facilities. When the manager wants these things done, the board and everyone else has to back him and they have done so.
“There is a no-excuse mentality there and the players have got everything in place for them. The standards are so high in everything from the facilities to the Sports Science and Medical to the gym.”
Verdict
It was no secret that one of Gerrard’s main priorities during his first season at Ibrox was to modernise and improve facilities in order to create an elite environment for his players and those coming through the Academy.
As mentioned by Smith, there’s the new stand on the pitch used by the Reserves and Women’s team, but plenty of other changes have also been made. New top quality pitches have been installed and treatment rooms kitted out with top-notch equipment, while a barrier has even been erected around the first team training areas for the purposes of privacy.
Considering he only left the club four years ago, the impact the facility had on Smith shows just how much has gone on in recent times.
Gerrard isn’t just improving results on the field, he’s helping to revolutionise the club off of it, and long may it continue.
