McCall hoping for fans' support
Stuart McCall has called for Rangers fans to make a positive contribution to the Scottish Premiership play-off first-leg game against Hibernian at Ibrox on Wednesday night.
The Gers boss has witnessed the best and worst of the Light Blues support in recent weeks and much prefers the former.
There were several moments of anxiety in the stands during the play-off second-leg against Queen of the South in Govan on Sunday before a 1-1 draw took the home side through the quarter-final on a 3-2 aggregate.
McCall outlined the importance of fans ditching the criticism in favour of backing the team against Hibs.
The former Rangers midfielder, who revealed that skipper Lee McCulloch returns to the squad after recovering from a training ground knock, said: "Hibs will be saying, as Queen of the South were saying, 'go to Ibrox, keep the crowd quiet, score the first goal and the crowd will turn on them'.
"I have said all along, it (Ibrox) is a difficult place to play when expectations are high.
"We are not a Graeme Souness team, or a Walter Smith team, or a Dick Advocaat team. We haven't got that quality.
"But the last two home games have pleased me so much, with the supporters.
"There have been tense moments. We have given the ball away at times and you can understand the frustrations of the fans.
"In the second-last home game against Falkirk we went 2-0 down and the captain got booed a little but inside two minutes the supporters had turned that on its head by clapping him.
"That response got us the 2-2 draw that day.
"Against Queen of the South, we were a goal down, the ball gets thrown out to Richard Foster, it takes a bobble and he slices it into the stand and again there are moans and groans.
"Within a minute the ground was as loud as I have ever heard it and this was before we had scored. They got us that goal as much as anybody.
"I don't want the players to freeze, or be frightened to make a pass or (be) anxious.
"When the fans use that tension to sing and cheer, the difference in the players is incredible."
Seb Faure (knee), Kevin Mbabu (fitness issues), Gael Bigirimana (infection) and Shane Ferguson (knee) remain out.
Meanwhile, Hibernian head coach Alan Stubbs warned he had to hold his players back as they geared up for their crucial double-header.
Hibs have had two and a half weeks to prepare for the first leg, but Stubbs found it easy to keep his players sharp ahead of the Ibrox clash.
"They are ready," said Stubbs, who took his players to Spanish resort La Manga to train.
"It wasn't a challenge. We trained really well. We trained in a really good temperature where it was tough, and if anything we had to ease off some days just because they wanted to do more and more.
"There's a hunger amongst them. They are ready for the game, it has recharged their batteries and re-energised them. They are chomping at the bit."
Hibs finished three points ahead of Rangers in the Scottish Championship but their promotion hopes now hinge on two games against McCall's men for the right to face Motherwell in the final.
"The pressure is there, taking it away is difficult," Stubbs said. "It's obvious that it's there and as players you have to deal with it.
"You want to be involved in these games. You train all week to try to be as successful as you can, whether it's promotion or winning cups. You have to use that to your advantage. It's not about fearing the pressure, you have to thrive on it.
"There's every chance there will be a full house at Ibrox. You don't go there and fear it, you go there and be brave, and get on the ball."
Hibs have already won twice at Ibrox this season and Stubbs is aiming for a hat-trick, but he cautioned that victory will not be achieved in 90 minutes.
"We obviously want to go there and try to win the game, there is no doubt about that," he said.
"Ideally we want to come away from Ibrox with a win but if it's a draw or a narrow defeat, the tie will still be wide open when we come here on Saturday.
"It's important we come here with a result and then we will have the backing of our home fans. I'm hoping there will be a huge crowd here to roar us on."
Source: PAR
