Ryan Jack content to hear Steven Gerrard describe Rangers as ‘sloppy’

Maximum points, no goals conceded, but midfielder says team must improve or come unstuck

Despite Rangers’ perfect start to the Premiership season, midfielder Ryan Jack says they can’t afford to stand still and wants manager Steven Gerrard to ‘keep pushing’ his players every day. Picture: SNS

As one of Steven Gerrard’s most trusted on-field lieutenants, Ryan Jack takes no issue with his manager’s critical assessment of Rangers’ 3-0 win over St Johnstone which took them to the top of the Premiership table.

A perfect start to the campaign, in statistical terms at least, hasn’t been enough to fully satisfy Gerrard as he tries to set the standards required for the Ibrox club to still be leading the way when the season concludes.

Jack is more than happy to buy into the mindset with which Gerrard described his team as “sloppy” in recording a third straight victory and clean sheet in a promising opening to their bid to dethrone Celtic.

“We always need to have that mentality that we want to kick on and improve, otherwise we will come unstuck and someone will catch us out,” said Jack. “We have used a lot of words over pre-season and had a lot of meetings talking about momentum and being relentless in every game.

“When you have got that shirt, there is a lot of quality in the squad and it is up to you to grab your chance and keep it. So far, so good – but obviously you can’t stand still because teams will try to stop you. We just need to keep going and getting results.

“The gaffer is drilling it in every day. The gaffer is pushing us every day and wanting more every day. Even on the back of the second half on Wednesday night he was in the changing room, pushing us, wanting more, wanting better performances. We’re pleased with the start we’ve made but there’s a long way to go.

“That’s just what happens when you’re at a big club. The gaffer has said that to us from day one of pre-season; he’s going to be on us everyday.

“There’s no room to take our foot off it. We’re only a good team when we’re at it and at it everyday. He’ll remind us of that again and I’m sure if he does, we’ll take it into Sunday at Livingston.

“The last two games at Ibrox, we have played St Mirren and St Johnstone and got six goals and not conceded. I don’t think it has been too much of a problem so far but every team is going to set us a challenge. It is up to us to take it on and break it down and so far so good. We just want to keep that going.

“You have got to build that momentum and when teams are giving you that challenge every week to stop you, it is up to us to embrace it and take it on rather than going into games worrying. For us, you have always got to reflect. I have reflected personally and, for me, I have got to be at it every day and in every game.”

Jack remains one of the first names on Gerrard’s teamsheet but the 28-year-old midfielder feels the club’s summer recruitment activity has intensified the competition for places.

“It is definitely going the way of being the best squad we’ve had in my time here,” he said. “The manager has added a lot of good players and a lot of quality to what we had last season. Going forward, we are going to need that and we are going to need everyone to be at it every day. Whenever you get a chance to get a shirt, you have to try to keep it.”

Kemar Roofe made his debut for Rangers as a substitute on Wednesday, while Cedric Itten got his second run out as a replacement. Jack is confident both of the recent additions to Rangers’ forward options will make a significant impact.

“It is always going to take time for Cedric and Kemar to gel in and find their feet,” he added. “They have played abroad so it will take time to come over here, get their stuff, get their family over here. They have both come in, they are great guys with great attitudes and both have trained really well and integrated into the squad really well. It is a plus for us and I am sure they are going to come in and really help us.”

With Celtic having two league fixtures postponed after Boli Bolingoli’s breach of Covid-19 protocol, much has been made of Rangers’ opportunity to potentially open an 11-point gap between the sides before the champions’ scheduled return to Premiership action in a teatime kick-off at Dundee United on 22 August.

Rangers’ win over St Johnstone put them five points ahead of their inactive Old Firm rivals but Jack is unsure the situation has any major significance in the title race.

“Whether it has a psychological advantage, I couldn’t tell you,” he said. “I don’t know, that’s my answer to that. We just need to focus on ourselves. We need to focus on trying to win every game up until the first international break.

“We’ve been building good momentum. The pre-season games over in France, with the quality we were playing against, helped us with the fitness side of it.

“Domestically, we’re going in with the mentality that we want to win and we’ve started well. Wednesday was another big three points and moves us on to Sunday which will be another tough test.”

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