New Rangers signing shares what is exceptional about the club's supporters

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Published on:

07 Jul 2016, 10:20 am

By Tom Blackburn

New Rangers signing Clint Hill has said the figure of 40,000 season tickets holders at the club is an unbelievable feat.

Hill joined the Glasgow giants last month after his contract at QPR expired, as has brought a wealth of experience to the club.

Currently on pre-season tour in Charleston, South Carolina Hill told Rangers TV the aura of the club is bigger than he had expected and Rangers' announcement of 40,000 season ticket sales is exceptional.

“It is an incredible figure, and everyone thinks ‘yeah, Rangers are a big club’ – but until you actually walk into it and experience it on a daily basis with the training ground, Ibrox and more than 40,000 season tickets – there are not many Premier League clubs that could do that," Hill said.

“So we all know the size of the club and the expectations that go with it, and the responsibilities that go with it as well. I’m just looking forward to getting out there and doing my best for the club.”

Rangers gained promotion into the Scottish Premiership last season four years after the club was put into administration and liquidated.

Mark Warburton wants his side to challenge for the league title immediately this season and has added eight players to his ranks in an attempt to do that.

Hill is by far the most experienced of the lot at 37, but he joins fellow old head and former teammate Joey Barton at Rangers, who turns 34 in September.

In a career spanning 19 years, Hill has made almost 600 competitive appearances, including 72 games in the Premier League, and worked with the likes of Tony Pulis and Harry Redknapp.

Hill left QPR after six years at the club and Warburton is hopeful the centre-back can have the same kind of impact that former Gers defender David Weir did in 2007.

Despite his wealth of experience Hill refuses to stop educating himself and is learning from experienced coaches Warburton and and Weir.

“Every club you go to has different philosophies and ideas, and working with Mark is another new learning curve for me," he told Rangers TV.

“I’ve been very interested in some of the sessions we have done and I’ve gone back to the hotel room and jotted a few things down in my book for my own education as that’s the path I want to take when I’m finished."

In other Rangers news, they have opened talks in a bid to secure their ninth summer signing.

Rangers

Clint Hill