Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Blair Meikle

Lawrence Shankland can be Rangers captain but here is the warning I've given him

Lawrence Shankland (Image: Luke Nickerson/Rangers FC/Shutterstock)

Lawrence Shankland has been working with a mindset coach for a number of years - something that can help him with the pressure of the move to Rangers.

Not only has he signed for a club with incredible demands and intensity around it, but it's the club he supported as a boy and will be determined to do well for.

Despite only being announced last week and not officially registered until the transfer window opens, Shankland is already being talked about as a potential captain for next season having skippered Hearts.

His mindset coach John Johnstone is in no doubt he is capable of stepping into that role.

"I’ve no idea who will get the privilege of becoming the new Rangers captain," he said speaking to the Daily Record.

“But from what I know of Lawrence and the body of work he had as Hearts captain both in terms of his performance level and how he conducted himself and also the connection the fans seem to have with him, I could see lots of reasons why Danny Rohl would give Lawrence serious consideration.


Read more

One transfer window non-negotiable Rangers must fix after years of missed chances Rangers’ Nico Raskin dilemma: Hold their nerve or cash in after the World Cup?


“Every other step up he’s been asked to make in his career, he’s made, so why not another?”

However, there is one warning the 30-year-old has been handed ahead of the move to his boyhood club - it might not play out like the dream scenario he may have in his head.

And if things go wrong, he must be prepared for what that will bring.

Johnstone added: “I spoke to Lawrence a couple of weeks back before he signed for Rangers.

“The positive side is him joining his boyhood club, European nights, playing in front of 50,000, potentially beating Celtic, winning trophies.

“So playing for Rangers can ‘pay' Lawrence in some amazing ways.

“But when you join a club like that, there are payments you, your family have to make in return - the scrutiny, the intensity, the pressure.

“So while it can be amazing to be a Rangers player when things go well, there's the flip side when they don’t.

“The question I asked Lawrence was, 'Are you willing to pay that price?’ If the answer's yes, 100 percent go for it.

“But if you or your family's not willing to put up with every aspect of playing for Rangers, good and bad, I'd stay where you are.

“I worked with one player who joined Rangers around a decade ago and his words to me were, ‘My dream moved turned into a nightmare’.

“Rangers were struggling on the pitch, so mentally he felt like he had to get away from it all. He took his kids to the cinema but found half the city wanting to ask questions about why it was going wrong and the other half laughing at him.

“That’s the price you've got to be willing to pay.

“Now that doesn't mean you'll end up paying the price, but there's nothing Lawrence can do to guarantee being a success at Rangers.

“But what he's got in place now is systems and processes to help him cope when it doesn’t go well.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.