LAWRENCE SHANKLAND says being named as Rangers captain is his boyhood dream coming true.
The Scotland international striker - who grew up idolising legendary captain Barry Ferguson - has been handed the armband from manager Derek McInnes ahead of Friday’s William Hill Scottish Premiership opener with Dundee United.
The Ibrox gaffer only broke the news to his new skipper ahead of speaking to the media, but the hitman insists he will be telling the new players what standards are expected.
He said: “I’m a supporter and it was a dream to be here in the first place, but to be named captain is an honour.
“The gaffer only told me an hour ago. When I was at Hearts, I was captain there, and since coming here, the only way I behave and train is to act like a captain and try to be a leader.
“I told the family chat and the messages came through really quickly, and it is a proud moment for them.
“I have a lot of Rangers fans in the family, and they will be happy to see me leading the team out.
“I have not thought about speaking to any other captains yet, but it is important to speak to people with experience of doing it, and if I get the opportunity to speak to people, I will.
“Barry was my hero growing up and maybe that was him being the captain and him lifting the trophies at the end of the season.
“I look to myself to set examples, do things properly. There are times you need to be more vocal, but the days of captains shouting and bawling, I don’t think society works that way now.
“You need to identify who needs an arm round the shoulder or a jag at times, but you learn that.
“I will do things properly, and the boys will do things properly; we will respect each other and do things like you should as a Rangers player.
“We have signed experienced players like Dan Neil and Ben Godfrey who have been captains elsewhere, so it’s about us all setting those examples.
Shankland knows the pressure that will come with being the Rangers captain, although he believes the squad are raring to get going.
He added: “Pre-season has been good; we went to Spain, we have had two games at Ibrox. Pre-season serves its purpose, but I believe we are ready to go.
“In training I could feel the boys are looking forward to competitive games starting; I know I am. It is a great fixture, going to Dundee United; it will be a sell-out, good stadium to play at, a good away day for the fans and we need to go and try and get a result.
“It is different when a new management team comes in. I worked with most of them last season, so I know what to expect.
“It is high intensity, and there has been a notch up in the levels since I came in. It is about getting used to the manager’s demands.
“People work differently, but in particular with the manager he wants high intensity, to be competitive and for us to be at it from the start, but everyone is buying into it.
“You see past photos of captains lifting trophies here, and that is something I have dreamed of.
“It is something we have set out to do, but we won’t get ahead of ourselves; we haven’t played a league game yet, and we have to look forward to that.”
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