Source: Team_Talk
Smith shrugs off Gers criticism
Smith has challenged his players to show they can survive the fall-out from the disappointing events at Hampden last week as they now attempt to steer their campaign back on track.[LNB]Hearts visit Ibrox in the Scottish Premier League on Saturday in a game Rangers cannot afford to lose as they attempt to bridge a three-point gap in the title race.[LNB]Smith admits it has been a tough week for everyone at the club but says now is the time to ignore the inevitable criticism which has come their way and focus on the job at hand.[LNB]"As long as the criticism doesn't affect the team too greatly, that's okay," he said.[LNB]"Before last Sunday, we were in a position to win a treble if we performed well enough until the end of the season.[LNB]"Last season, we were in a position where we were leading the championship, in finals of cups and eventually got to the final of the UEFA Cup and people were complaining about how we were playing.[LNB]"Last season there was a possibility of it being one of the best seasons in Rangers' history but you were never going to satisfy everybody.[LNB]"That seems to be the modern way. I don't think you can allow it to affect you in any way.[LNB]"It's just part and parcel of life in Scotland. You have to handle it and take it on board and you have to be strong enough to handle it.[LNB]"I keep saying to the players that they have to have a strong mentality to play at Rangers and you have to have a strong mentality to manage at Rangers as well.[LNB]"I'm settled in my own mind that, regardless of what happens, we are never going to keep everybody happy.[LNB]"If you are in any job, you have to take a level of criticism. If you are a banker or a politician just now, you have to take criticism."[LNB]Barry Ferguson, in particular, has been singled out for abuse but Smith has no concerns about his captain's ability to cope with the added pressure on his shoulders.[LNB]He added: "We live in a country that has a tenth of the population of England and has more news print.[LNB]"They've got to write about something and sport is one of the biggest things they write about.[LNB]"When people come to play in Scotland, they are always surprised by the level of criticism they take. Those of us who have been here are not surprised.[LNB]"If people were criticising Rangers last season when they were winning, what chance do you have when you are losing?[LNB]"Everybody comes under scrutiny. He is the captain of Rangers and he will come under that scrutiny. But he is an experienced player and he will handle it."[LNB]Rangers know they can afford no further slip-ups in the title race, with Smith expecting the final Old Firm derby at Ibrox to be crucial in deciding the destination of the trophy.[LNB]"We know what we have to do," he said.[LNB]"We are trailing a bit behind Celtic at the moment but we have a home game to come against them. We'll have to try to catch up with them.[LNB]"It's a task for the team but we fell points behind in previous parts of the season and showed a determination to get back and we will have to do that now.[LNB]"The most important thing for us after the disappointment of the cup final is to make sure that we get back on track."[LNB]Next up is a Hearts team sitting in third place in the SPL.[LNB]And, as far as Smith is concerned, their 'best of the rest' status at the moment is down to manager Csaba Laszlo's relationship with majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov.[LNB]"They have been the steadiest team throughout the season," he said.[LNB]"That's credit to Csaba. He has come in and I think he has stood up to the owner a bit more than maybe a few of the others have done.[LNB]"He has not been afraid to voice his opinion to the owner about what is required.[LNB]"He has had a good look at his team, he has made a good assessment of what he had to do, and he has carried that out well throughout the season."[LNB][LNB]
