Everything Ryan Jack said to the media after the game against Newcastle.
How has Alan McGregor been as a teammate and how is he in the dressing room?
As a person, he's a top-notch fellow – a top-notch guy. He’s done a lot for me. My time at Rangers was when he came back and straight away you could see what the club meant to him and how much it meant for him to wear that jersey. Obviously, putting up with him in the change room for a few years has been tough! It's a great send-off. The fans showed up in numbers for him, and it was fully deserved.
How do you feel after preseason so far in terms of general fitness?
I think so far we're in a good place. We just recently got back from my preseason camp in Germany and it was eight days and it was tough work with a game at the end of that. It's been enjoyable, but it's been tough, so it's been a good balance and hopefully, in the next couple of weeks leading into the competitive games, we'll get the rewards of that.
What do you think of the new boys?
Yeah, so far, I think the additions look really good. They are all going to help us in different ways, but as you saw, Sam tonight got his goal and works his socks off for the team. He’s an honest player. I think you'll see that throughout preseason that all the new guys will come in, they'll integrate and they'll all bring different things to the team. So, as I say, hopefully, next couple of weeks, we'll see more of that and we'll see the rewards of preseason.
Are you ready for the European qualifiers?
I think we're going to have a couple of weeks until we have the Champions League games. It was a good test for us because Newcastle are going to be a Champions League side and that's obviously the quality and the fitness we want to try and get to. I'm sure we will over the next couple of weeks. We have time to work and keep progressing and moving forward. So no, I'm confident going into the games - and we'll wait see what happens.
How do you see your role with other midfielders coming to the club this window?
Look, I think first and foremost, I've I just need to work hard, get my head down, preseason, be fit, be available, and whenever you get your opportunity, you've got to try and take it. That's the competition that we're going to have in each position going forward. I think even in training we can see the levels went up and the standards improved. So not just for myself or for midfielders, I think all over the pitch there's competition. There are two or three each position. So, I think if the team’s going to be successful. then everyone's going to have to play a part.
Does having major competition for your place bring the best out of you?
I don't think it's just about me and me responding positively. I think it's the whole group. I think that's why the manager strengthened the squad because last year wasn't good enough. We want to improve the squad, we'll have more quality, more options and I think we've done that so far. And as you say, there might be a few more coming in so. it's all going to help us to obviously try and go and be successful and try to win trophies.
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Do you have extra responsibility now as a senior player?
Yeah, especially helping the new guys. As soon as you walk in, it doesn't matter where you've come from or who you've played for - I think you feel how special the club is and you feel that demand straight away. So, I don't think anyone's going to need us to tell them, but I think at the right times, we can always help and guide and because we've been here, had experience here, been through different experiences. So I think that will definitely help as preseason goes on and as the season unfolds, but everyone's doing really well so far and preseason has been good so I can't complain.
Is there a sense that Rangers will be more fluid in their formation on and off the ball this season?
Yeah, I think we're going to need to be adaptable and know different roles and different formations. And I think that's what preseason for it. It gives us a chance to test out different roles within the team and different formations at different times of the game. I think going forward that might be something that we need to look at. But as I say, I think the shape and how we've been playing - it's not really changed too much from since the managers came in and we'll just keep working on that.
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