MICHAEL BEALE has challenged his Rangers side to finish the campaign on a strong footing as the Light Blues prepare to host St. Mirren at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday afternoon.
The visit of the Paisley outfit is the penultimate fixture before the league split for the Ibrox side as they go in search of their eighth successive home victory.
Speaking to the media before tomorrow afternoon's clash, Beale said: "We have to keep winning and I want a strong Rangers on the pitch. I won't devalue the shirt by giving people minutes who have just been waiting. They have to deserve the shirt.
"We have a semi-final, we want to end the season well and retain the Scottish Cup so there's a lot to play for. Within that, there will be opportunities, but the biggest thing is that the players must earn their opportunity on the training pitch.
"Stephen [Robinson] has done a very good job. We've played 21 domestic games and we haven't played St. Mirren yet. They're three points off third place and there's European money there. There's a fantastic battle in the division at the moment.
"We have seven games remaining against teams around us, and there's everything to play for involving some of those clubs for that European place. We saw what it did financially for Hearts this season and the other clubs will be very aware of that.
"I think Stephen will make things really difficult for us tomorrow and it's important that we bounce back. I'm looking at the team training and I'm happy with where we're at. The team that we're playing tomorrow is an exciting team, so I'm looking forward to the game."
The Light Blues retain league and Scottish Cup aspirations this season as they approach the business end of the campaign, with Beale insisting that he is excited by the long-term plans for the side as the summer approaches.
He continued: "We have strong foundations and now it's about making good decisions. The team has been performing well. We've had a couple of games where we've had a rough result, but there's not too much to make up. I want to move really quickly this summer.
"We need be aggressive, early, and identify good players in the window. We had a good January in terms of bringing Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin in the building and we need to continue doing that. I'm excited by having the responsibility, along with the board and the people that support me, in making those decisions.
"There won't be much time for resting in the summer as there's work to be done. I'm trying to do that work now and the club is aware of that. John Bennett has taken over from Douglas [Park] and he's brought a lot of energy and good ideas. We've had some conversations already. I feel that I have strong support from the board.
"The communication in the last few days has been very clear and I've been able to share my ideas as well. A lot of planning has been going on since November. We can only action a little bit of it in January and we'll action it again in the summer. I'm seeing enough good things in terms of the core players that I want to move forward with that makes me excited about some of the additions that we'll make this summer."