Source: Team_Talk
Smith happy with extended break
The Ibrox side have reported back to Murray Park for pre-season training following several weeks to recharge the batteries after clinching a domestic double.
Their title triumph means qualification for the Champions League group stages is already secured and they will not be in competitive action again until the new SPL season gets under way on August 15.
The summer schedule is in stark contrast to 12 months ago, when Rangers faced the prospect of a Champions League qualifier against FBK Kaunas just a few weeks after a gruelling campaign which saw them lose out on both the UEFA Cup and the championship in the latter stages.
A hangover from those exertions took its toll as they crashed to the Lithuanian minnows in one of the club's worst ever European results.
However, Smith does not foresee any problems this time around and expects his players to be refreshed and ready for action.
"We've had as long a pre-season as many of the players have had for a great number of years," he said.
"It's been close to six weeks' break, which everyone has enjoyed. But it makes the pre-season training even more important.
"Last season, we had a very short pre-season break. This time, everybody looks quite refreshed and we get ourselves up and running now."
One player who will have to wait a while longer for a return to action is Maurice Edu, who is set to see a specialist in London next week as he continues his recovery from a knee problem.
The United States international sustained the injury in the title-clincher against Dundee United at the end of last season.
He was then forced to sit out the Homecoming Scottish Cup triumph at Hampden and also missed out on the Confederations Cup tournament with his national team.
"He is in the United States on holiday and having some medical attention," Smith said.
"He arrives back tomorrow morning and then he is down to London to see a specialist next week and then he will stay with us after that."
Meanwhile, third-choice goalkeeper Graeme Smith has signed for SPL new boys St Johnstone after making just one competitive appearance during his two years at Rangers.
Walter Smith told Rangers World: "It's been awkward for Graeme over the last couple of seasons he has been with us.
"He hasn't been getting the amount of football he would have wanted but he has always handled himself very well, he is very professional in his approach to doing things.
"St Johnstone have given him the opportunity to come back and the opportunity of getting a game on a more regular basis. We wish him well and hope he does well."
