McLeish shares ‘big money’ claim after Rangers pre-season ‘blow’
Rangers have suffered a “blow” after they were unable to complete a pre-season friendly against Sunderland.
That’s according to former Gers boss Alex McLeish, speaking exclusively to Football Insider after the club’s disrupted plans.
Rangers faced Championship side Sunderland in their first pre-season friendly of the summer on 9 July.
However, the game was cancelled at half-time after a power outage at the Portuguese venue.
Rangers were 1-0 down at the time after Luke O’Nien’s opener.
McLeish insists this is a blow as Giovanni van Bronckhorst needs his squad to be match fit before the start of the league season.
“Really, these games are all about match fitness,” McLeish told Football Insider correspondent Ben Wild
“To lose the opportunity to get some match fitness is a blow but not too much of one at this stage of the season.
“These things happen. It is really, really important that players get as much match time as they can before they start the new season.
“It prepares them really well. I have seen directors at clubs panicking a wee bit when a smaller club might beat you in pre-season.
“The chairman panics and you have to tell them how you only started pre-season a few weeks ago and to take it easy.
“It’s not the be-all and end-all, it’s when it comes to the big money games where it really matters.
“It’s important that when the league starts the Rangers players are up to match fitness.”
In other news, a Rangers TV pundit has issued a ‘very exciting’ Rabbi Matondo claim after confirmed news