Rangers imposed duty to entertain, says Jason Holt

Jason Holt, in the Ibrox bootroom, promoting half-season ticket sales for Christmas. Picture: SNS Group

The Ibrox side have come in for criticism for their style of play in recent seasons, even when they were gaining consecutive promotions, and especially last term when they finished third in the Ladbrokes Championship.

But Mark Warburton has transformed the team into an attacking unit that has scored 57 goals already this season and is under orders to produce stylish football.

Holt, who was launching the club’s half-season-ticket offer, said: “As soon as I came through the door, I got a sense of that. Our job on a Saturday is to put a performance on and try to send the fans home happy. If we can do that then it’s job done. We will keep looking to entertain with the football we play.

“Obviously you want to win games, but there’s a style and fashion that you can do it. If we can win and do it in style then all the better.

“You catch fans sometimes in and around the stadium and the training ground and they are all in high spirits. That’s down to us to maintain the high spirits and keep sending them home happy.”

Holt has netted four goals this season and will continue getting into the box.

The former Hearts player said: “The freedom and style of play allows you to get forward and try to grab some goals. Thankfully I have done that in the past few weeks, but I’m always looking to get more.”

Most of the focus has been on football at Rangers this season, but recent headlines have revived memories of the off-field issues that have dogged Ibrox for several years, including court action, tax issues and debates about title-stripping. But Holt, who came through administration at Tynecastle, is confident the players will not be distracted.

“Like the manager said, all we can do as players and coaching staff is concentrate on the stuff on the field,” the 22-year-old said. “We can’t control stuff off the field. We will deal with matters on the park. When I came here my sole focus was on playing football and that’s still the focus here. At Hearts as well we could only control matters on the park, so it’s pretty similar.”