JUDGING any Rangers player on a cup game against part-time opposition at a half empty Ibrox is never the wisest move.
To suggest Niko Krancjar is going to be a superstar after one goal, which was an excellent strike, and some fine deliveries from set-pieces against Peterhead, a team whose North East-based players don’t get to train with those living in the south during the week because of distance, is bordering on madness.
However, at least the 31-year-old Croat looked close to a player on Tuesday night. He opened the scoring with a memorable shot from distance and while a man capped 81 times for his country will have had more testing nights, he showed there was some life left in those legs.
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Krancjar, according to Mark Warburton, was taken aback by the criticism levelled at him following his less than impressive performance in the home draw with Hamilton. Welcome to Glasgow, Niko, where you are only as good as your last corner.
His signing was seen as a marquee signing of sorts by Rangers in that he has played at a top level – he even once scored against Scotland – but 77 club games over four years when he should have been at the peak of his powers suggest that his career was on a downward spiral.
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However, another new man at the club, Clint Hill, played with Krancjar at Queens Park Rangers and has no doubts that once the playmakers gets going, the supporters will enjoy watching him.
“Niko’s a top player and he wants to do well,” said Hill. “He fully relishes the opportunity that he’s got at Rangers, like every other player. We were all disappointed on Saturday. We want to win games. We couldn’t do that so no-one came off thinking ‘I had a good game’.
“We were disappointed because we know the expectations at this great club. You’ve got to win your games. But Niko is a quality player. If you get him in the right positions, like we did against Peterhead, then he’ll deliver. That goal was first class, out of the top drawer.
“You could see his range of passing and vision as well. The more games he plays, the more minutes he gets in his legs, his performance levels will only get higher. I think he’s doing okay and that he’s a good player.
“The expectations at this football club are very, very high and if you fall below them then people will let you know and rightly so. I think he’s done well and hopefully he can carry that on.”
Hill, a veteran at 37, scored twice against Peterhead and even came close to a hat-trick. This was the first double of his long career. The defender has seen and done quite a bit in his 20 years of senior football but the flack his team received after dropping points on the opening day of the season was a new one.
“It’s an eye-opener, definitely,” admitted Hill. “Even just walking out of the tunnel on Saturday, you know what’s expected of you. Unfortunately we couldn’t finish them off and get the three points so the win on Tuesday was a positive in terms of coming out, getting on the ball and taking our chances, which is the most important thing.
“I think if we’d taken our chances on Saturday then we’d have come away with three points. Unfortunately we couldn’t and it was a disappointing result.
"We’re at Rangers and you don’t want to drop points at home. Unfortunately we did that but we responded against Peterhead, having made a few changes. It was a positive night and we took our chances. It gives us a good springboard ahead of a difficult game on Saturday at Dundee.”
Hill did not come to Rangers for an easy life. He could easily have played for one or two more seasons in the lower leagues of England where, no matter what they try to tell you, many simply coast through the seasons.
“I signed up for this,” said a smiling Hill. “There’s no slacking here. I fully know that from Saturday. It was a good, positive performance in the cup and I’m glad we took our chances when we did because that’s one side of the game that we had to work on.
“It was a good night ahead of a big game on Saturday. I’ve been with different clubs at different levels but here you have to win game, simple as that.”
There was never any chance of something silly happening against Peterhead and while the 5-0 win was expected, it was also welcome, as were the goals scored by the old man in the team.
“That was an added bonus for me,” said Hill. “I’ve been lucky enough to score the odd goal here and there, but never two. So that was a special moment for me.
"It was a good overall performance from the lads after a disappointing result on Saturday. To bounce back, score five and get a clean sheet meant it was a good night.”
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