Ryan Jack has provided his thoughts on Rangers and their move to Hampden this weekend against Motherwell, commenting on how it may influence the players.
The Scotland international spent seven years at Ibrox after signing from Aberdeen in 2017. He made 210 appearances in total and scored 16 goals before leaving Rangers at the end of last season.
Jack’s contract expired and there was no real desire from the club to extend his deal. Injuries have wrecked a large chunk of his professional career and it was no different at Rangers.
It certainly felt like the right time to part ways with the midfielder who was included in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for Euro 2024 in June.
Now a free agent and looking for a club, Jack has a little more time on his hands than he usually would have at this point of a new Scottish football campaign.
Ryan Jack on Rangers Hampden league debut
He was invited onto William Hill’s new The Warm Up show which will preview each and every SPFL matchday this season.
And of course, he was quizzed on his old side Rangers who play Motherwell this weekend at Hampden after a 0-0 draw with Hearts last Saturday.
Hampden will be home for Rangers until construction work on the Copland Road Stand at Ibrox is completed having had its progress delayed over the summer.
Jack was asked by host Gordon Duncan if the move to Hampden will have any sort of effect on the players and the former Aberdeen captain believes it will – but it shouldn’t be used as an excuse if things go wrong.
Jack told the show: “Yeah definitely, it’s going to have an effect. There’s no doubt that with the power that Ibrox has, especially next Tuesday there’s a big Champions League qualifier, the atmosphere that Ibrox can bring for that.
“And then obviously for a home game, you’ll need to travel to Hampden for the game and it’s going to feel different of course as a player.
“But I think Rangers are at a stage where they can’t afford distractions and they just need to focus on the job at hand. I think this weekend is vital to go and get three points.”
No Hampden excuses for Rangers
Rangers are regular visitors at the national stadium so there really shouldn’t be any excuses if they aren’t able to perform there.
Hampden will be packed to the rafters with more than 50,000 Light Blue supporters on Saturday against a Motherwell side who are depleted due a number of injuries.
This is the perfect opportunity to lay down a marker and quell any worries that playing at Hampden until Ibrox is ready is going to be an unnecessary distraction for Philippe Clement’s men.
Jack is spot on with his assessment, of course it’s going to feel a little bit strange at first. But there’s nothing standing in the way of Rangers doing their all to get three points and kickstart their Premiership season.
