MATT Gilks was, at 34 and with a lengthy career at a decent level in England behind him, exactly the sort of experienced keeper Mark Warburton was keen to bring in to Rangers this summer.
Wes Foderingham was always going to be his first choice goalie in the Ladbrokes Premiership this season given how assuredly the Englishman had performed in the second tier and cup competitions last term.
Warburton, though, wanted a dependable back-up and Gilks, who had played in the English Championship and Premier League with Blackpool and Norwich for many years, fitted the bill perfectly.
Read more: Mark Warburton: Niko Kranjcar will flourish at Rangers
Yet, the three-times capped Scotland internationalist, who will start in the Betfred Cup second round match with Peterhead at Ibrox tonight as Foderingham is rested, has still developed and improved in the short time since moving to Glasgow.
Warburton’s insistence on his keeper passing the ball from the back has been eye-opening and invigorating for him. The old adage about not being able to teach an old dog new tricks definitely doesn’t apply when it comes to Gilks.
"I played the same system under Ian Holloway at Blackpool, but we had a different set up when playing out from the back,” he said.
Read more: Mark Warburton: Niko Kranjcar will flourish at Rangers
"It was 4-3-3. Ian had been off for a few years thinking about football and he came in with this new idea - he said he created it and showed us what he wanted!
“It worked for us and we were fantastic under him. It’s slightly different from what the gaffer does here, but we are similar in going forward.
“In those games for Blackpool I probably didn’t have as much possession, but now I’m learning a lot more about being out of my goal, receiving the ball more rather than predominately just being a goalkeeper. I’ve got another role to play now, almost a sweeper.
“It’s a massive concentration issue. In the game against East Stirling away, I didn’t have anything to do but I came off soaked in sweat and with a headache through shouting. The concentration levels go up and you are finding passes that normally a midfielder will be finding. It’s a good way to play and it can be exciting as well.
“The whole point is keeping the ball. There’s no point in punting the ball down the pitch when you’ve got a big hairy centre half down the pitch wanting to head it 50 yards back at you.
“It’s all about possession. If we’ve got the ball, they haven’t and the style we play, we can break teams down, pass through them and take the chances that we make. I’d rather do it that way than shell it 80 or 90 yards aiming for someone’s head. We make the back four more or less a five, so I enjoy it that.”
Gilks wasn’t involved in Rangers’ opening Ladbrokes Premiership match of the 2016/17 campaign at Ibrox on Saturday. He looked on from the bench as Warburton’s side was held to a 1-1 draw by Hamilton.
However, he was still as bitterly disappointed as his team mates at the result. He believes it will take time for the summer signings to find their fitness and sharpness, gel with each other and familiarise themselves with how their manager wants them to play.
“It was very flat, very quiet, in the dressing room after the game,” he said. “Hamilton came with a plan and soaked it up after the first 10,15 minutes when we were well on top. They got their noses in front and held on for a while.
“Obviously Waggy (Martyn Waghorn) came up with the goal and they held on for the rest of the game, which is credit to them. They’ve probably raised their game coming into Ibrox, which a lot of teams will do.
“But I don’t think it was a reality check. We know what’s going to come and what we are going to face. It’s just about continuing to develop. We have new players and they have to get used to the system and to the other players as well. It’s still a learning curve for us and it was the first game. I’m sure we won’t drop many more points to be honest.”
Gilks, who only played one game for Burnley last season as the Turf Moor club won the English Championship, has welcomed the chance to be involved in the Betfred Cup in the coming months.
“From my point of view, if Wes is playing well and I can’t break in, I want to be playing football, so these cup games give me that opportunity,” he said. “We are looking to go all the way in this cup and hopefully we can all the way to the final and I can play in a cup final. That’s what we want to do.”
“Yeah, getting a run out will be good for me. The manager said there would be a few changes, so myself and a few boys will get the chance to show what they can do. But it’s also to do with what we do day to day. I’ve got to come in every day smiling, working hard and showing I can be the No.1 at Rangers.”
“It’s difficult when you have good goalies at the football club because if one is playing the other one is not going to get games. The cup competition gives you the chance to throw the other goalie in and give him competitive games to see what he can do. Getting games in friendlies is just not the same thing. This is a good way of looking at both your goalkeepers.”
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