James Morrison would like to play for Rangers, but only if SPL improves

A CERTAIN sensitivity is detectable from James Morrison at the mention of the Scotland internationalist’s Englishness. And, in fairness to the Darlington-born 25-year-old, who qualifies to wear the dark blue through his grand-parentage, it seems he could be happy to strengthen his associations with the country he represents on the football field.

The West Bromwich Albion midfielder, currently in Cyprus preparing for tomorrow’s friendly with the rest of Craig Levein’s squad, revealed yesterday that the Scottish side of his family’s support for Rangers was responsible for him developing strong allegiances to the Ibrox club. Putting down those roots, indeed, resulted in him peroxiding the ones on his head in homage to his hero, Paul Gascoigne, who did so in his pomp with the Ibrox club in the mid-1990s.

Morrison suggests that he wouldn’t mind if the similarities with Gascoigne did not end there. For, as “a Rangers man”, becoming a Rangers player holds a certain appeal.

“Rangers is the team I’ve followed since I was a kid so it would be great to play there one day,” he said. “I’m still young and hope to play at the highest level I can. No disrespect to the SPL, but at the moment it’s not where it should be. But in the future, who knows? The Old Firm games are quality and I try to get up there as much as I can to watch them. The Ibrox lads have sorted me out with tickets a few times.

“I have aunts and uncles who support Rangers, grandparents, too. I was up in Scotland all the time as a youngster, for weddings and holidays. So being into football, it was Rangers for me. It was at a time when they had some real quality players like Laudrup and Gazza, when he dyed his hair blond. I tried to copy him, but it went a bit wrong. It turned out gingery so it maybe wasn’t the best idea. It got me noticed, though!

“I also remember having the Rangers shirt with the toggles at the collar. They were definitely my team. And when you look back at some of the players Rangers had down the years it was fantastic. In later years I liked the De Boer brothers.”

With 18 caps Morrison is firmly bonded to Scotland as well as its champion club and believes the fact that optimism over what the future could hold for Levein’s side has lingered longer than their dashed hopes of reaching Euro 2012. This, he claims, is as a result of “how well we have come on as a group of players”.

“There is a good bond between us now and this Cyprus game is a good opportunity to get another game together,” he said. “It is always nice to come and get a bit of sun at this time of year, but it will be a tough game.”

Morrison says his focus switched back to club football when Spain dispensed with Scotland to ensure the country’s wait for an appearance in a major finals will stretch to 16 years at least. Yet, the presence in the Albion squad of Republic of Ireland internationalists, Shane Long and Simon Cox, who have travelled to Estonia for tomorrow night’s first leg of the Euro 2012 play-offs, really brought home to Morrison what he was missing out on.

“It’s a great opportunity for them,” he said. “We spoke about it and I’m obviously disappointed we’re not going any further, but we look to the World Cup now.

“It’s another tough group. Belgium have got some great players emerging and Croatia are always there or thereabouts. Then you have Wales, who are supposed to be the worst team in the group. They’ve had some good results recently. We just need to be confident and play our own game.”

Morrison cannot be wholly confident of playing games under West Brom manager Roy Hodgson right now.

“He said he wanted to give me a rest after the Spain match because it had been a tough game. I could understand he wanted to give me a break, I just couldn’t understand why it was for three weeks,” the player said. “But I played at the weekend and I felt good. It was tough at the Emirates [in the 3-0 defeat by Arsenal], but I hope I can keep my place.”

The place the midfielder holds in Levein’s affections is more than matched by the regard Morrison holds for his international manager. The player acknowledges his role has developed “massively” in Scotland manager’s settled 4-1-4-1 formation.

“Craig has given me the licence to go and play and I hope I’m repaying that confidence on the pitch,” he said. “It’s always nice when a manager has faith in you and I enjoy playing in a three in the middle.

“I look forward to coming away with Scotland and so much of that is down to Craig. He has given me that confidence. Responsibility comes with that, but I think the added bit of pressure to produce is a good thing.

“I was a little bit disappointed in the Czech Republic game because it was a massive match and we didn’t really do it. But that is one thing we can learn from in the next campaign. We have to step up when the big games come around.”