The midfielder is back at Rangers as a youth coach and he was delighted to answer questions from supporters.
Check out the highlights of his session…
Q – James Black – You played in a number of different positions (particularly under Graeme Murty/Davie McCallum) do you think that helped your development and understanding of different roles on the pitch?
A – My game knowledge as a player was good which allowed me to play in different positions on the pitch. I think being exposed to those different roles definitely helped develop my game knowledge further.
And it was something I was constantly talking about especially with David McCallum and other coaches like Alan Boyd. Alan had coached me a lot when I was younger and suggested I find a role that I was most comfortable in and could excel in.
Q – Tom – Hi Ross. Delighted to see you back. Congratulations on your appointment. Looking back to the early days of the ‘Games Programme’ to compete best v best – how much excitement did that cause at the Academy at the time & how helpful was it in terms of player development?
A – When the Games Programme first launched, there was a lot of excitement about the fact we were going to play against teams of the highest level from week to week.
In terms of player development I thought it was great, you faced a new challenge weekly playing against top players at top clubs.
The main challenge was the fact that you didn’t know what you were coming up against as you rarely seen a team play the same way. All the teams we came up against had different styles of play from what we were used to.
And we weren’t able to dominate games as easy as we maybe would have in Scotland and that’s the type of challenges I relished as a player.
I always wanted to prove I was better than what I was up against and I’m sure many of the boys that are involved in the Games Programme will find that.
Q – 4LadsHadADream – Great to see you back at the club, what advice will you be giving to those who are now in a similar position to what you were?
A – The advice I would give to the young ones who are full-time is to work hard every day no matter what. Don’t waste a training day or match day.
Every day at the training centre is a chance to develop. Make the most of the facilities and staff. They are some of the best in the country and always look to develop every part of your game.
Q – Favourite memory of your time playing at the club?
A – I’ve had a lot of good times at the club but one of my favourite memories has to be one of the first times I was involved with the first team squad.
It was on Remembrance Day at Ibrox the stadium was packed and the atmosphere was unbelievable. As a young boy, getting my first taste of what the first-team experienced every Saturday was incredible.
Q – Jamie – Hello Ross, has your work as a coach helped your career as a player at all?
A – Stepping into coaching has made me look at the game slightly differently to when I was just a player.
My game knowledge was alright as a player but now I’m understanding the reason behind a lot of training that first team players do. Also I’m understanding a lot more of the tactical side of the game and I’m able to take that into my games so I would say it has helped.
Q – What the biggest challenge lockdown has given you in terms of your work with the young teams?
A – The biggest challenge during lockdown for me is not being able to actually coach the kids. It’s very hard to try and coach over a phone call.
But the good thing is the club have been keeping in contact with the kids constantly and setting challenges for them. So it has still been good to hear from them and see them completing their challenges.
Q – Who is your favourite first team player?
A – My favourite first-team player at the moment would have to be Ryan Jack. He is constantly on the ball, his work rate to get about the pitch is unbelievable and his determination to win stands out for me.
Q – Hazle – This is a fantastic idea. The youngsters will relate to Ross and it will also let them see that not everyone makes it. Well done too all concerned
A – It’s a great idea. When I left Rangers I got into coaching straight away with a company that provided individual training for kids. I ended up working with some great kids that were involved at Rangers and other youth set ups. I received a call from Craig around a year later and he invited me in for a chat. From there we spoke about an opportunity for me to come back into the club as a coach and I was more than happy to.
Q – Colin – Great to see youth players progress into coaching roles. If you could go back and start again is there any part of your game you would concentrate on?
A – Although I was able to play a number of different positions, looking back a part of my game that I would concentrate more on would be to have been more focussed on playing one position. And making sure I was the best I possibly could have been in that one position.
Q – A number of young players signed their first contracts this week. Talk us through the excitement when you first signed?
A – It’s an unbelievable feeling signing your first professional contract for both the player and their families as it’s a sign that all the years of hard work are starting to pay off.
Q – Ross – How does it feel coming back as a coach?
A – It feels good to be back. The training centre has that homely feel around it and I hope that with the experience I’ve had in the academy and at the club the kids can relate to me and learn a lot from me.
It’s also a great chance for me to learn and develop as a coach with all the staff around me – and the kids are some of the best in the country.
Q – How much has things improved at the Rangers training centre since the day you won the cross bar challenge back in 2014 time and even since you departed the club in 2018?
A – I think I still hold the crown for the Crossbar Challenge hopefully Soccer AM aren’t back anytime soon 🤣
Since 2014 there have been some big changes with regards to the academy. The Best v Best Programme has started, there has been a lot of improvements on the site including the new stand.
The changing rooms have all been done up as well and also the Boclair Academy programme has started for the younger ones.
There is a lot more though, that’s just me naming a few but there are a lot of changes that are positive and can only help to develop our young players.
Q – Nick – Hi Ross, who were the Rangers players you looked up to as a youngster?
A – As a young boy, the Rangers players I looked up to were Pedro Mendes and Nacho Novo.
As I started to get a bit older and when I was in as a full-time player the players that I looked up to and helped me develop massively were the likes of Jason Holt, Niko Kranjcar, Ryan Jack and Kenny Miller.
They are the main ones I looked up to and tried to learn from as a young player
Q – How much from their games did you/do you take into your own game now?
A – I remember the first week of training working with the likes of Jason Holt and Kenny Miller and the main thing I noticed was how relentless they were.
No matter what we were doing in training they would be the hardest workers from a passing drill to the small-sided games. Their tempo was through the roof and you could see they carried that into their match days.
That’s something I have tried to keep with me as a player even to this day. What I tried to take from Niko Kranjcar was how composed he was on the ball and how technical he was.
At times in training he would literally walk past some of the first-team players as if they weren’t there. I’ve not managed to take on that part of his game unfortunately, that’s a bit harder to learn but when I’m on the ball I always try to be composed.
Q – Greg Statt – What was your highlight during your time as a youth player at the club Rosco?
A – One of my highlights as a youth player would have to be winning the Player of the Tournament when I was about 14 in Italy. It was a great tournament with strong teams and we played a lot of games over a short period of time with a great bunch of boys.
Alan Boyd and Ally Dawson coached us that year and it was one of my most enjoyable years as a youth player at the club. It was a strong squad that year and we all drove each other to do better.
Q – Also who is better you or Max Ashmore?
A – Who is better me or Max Ashmore ? Thanks for the laugh Statto 😂 Max is like a brother to me so all I’ll say is he’s not managed to take the ball off me since 2012. And the only reason he got it that day was because I offered him a 1v1 inside a phone box 🤔
Q – Heart and Hand Podcast – Hi Ross, what are the biggest changes in the youth setup from your time there?
A – The biggest changes in the youth set up have probably been the amount of upgrades added to the training centre, the changing rooms, the stand and the Boclair Academy link up is in place now. Plus the amount of staff that are working there to improve all aspects of the kids’ game.
The Rangers Academy is improving all the time. Everything has been upgraded and the kids will benefit as a result.
Q – This is Ibrox – What have you learnt from the likes of Craig Mulholland and the other staff in the youth setup?
A – I’ve known a lot of the staff for a number of years now and one of the main things that I have learned from my time with them is to always do things to the best of my ability. Always look to develop the players and help them understand what it takes to be a Rangers player from a young age.
Q – Cammy McKay – Who do you look up to in a coaching aspect, and what plans do you have for after you retire from playing?
A – There are a lot of great coaches that I’ve been lucky enough to work with. Coaches that I look up to in general are the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Beale and Steven Gerrard. I like their ideas on football and the journeys they’ve had into coaching.
At the moment I try and learn a lot from the likes of Alan Boyd, Greg Statt And Malky Thomson as I am focussed on coaching the younger kids in the academy. And they have great experience in the development of a young players.
With regards to retirement I haven’t really thought about that, I’m still young and still want to continue playing as much as I can.
Q – Adam – What was it like to experience match day at Ibrox as part of the first team?
A – It was an incredible experience being involved with the first team – especially at Ibrox. The atmosphere is incredible at every home game, you can feel the buzz from the fans and you know exactly what’s expected of you when you walk out onto that pitch.
Q – Elsie – Hi Ross. What was the first thing you noticed that was different about the Training Centre?
A – As I said before. The Rangers Academy is improving all the time. Everything has been upgraded and the kids will definitely benefit as a result.
That’s me finished. I really enjoyed that. Thanks again for all your support. And thanks to the Rangers Youth Development Company for everything they do to to help the Rangers Academy. I hope you all stay safe and well.
RYDC is proud to have provided more than £8.5 million to the Rangers Academy since 2002 – with profit from their portfolio of products.
For full details on RYDC, Rangers Lotto, Rangers Pools, The Union Jackpot, Scratchcards and Stadium Bricks visit www.rydc.co.uk or call 0141 427 4914.
And you can read more about Ross and his return to the Academy HERE