RANGERS fans have still to see Joe Garner, the striker who completed his protracted £1.5 million transfer to Ibrox last weekend, play in the flesh so it will be some time until they formulate an opinion on him.
Yet, having picked up 12 bookings and been ordered off once in 44 appearances for Preston North End last season, it is already fairly safe to assume that Garner isn’t a player who shies away from the physical aspect of the game.
The 28-year-old’s disciplinary record is such – the number of cautions which he received during the 2015/16 campaign was by no means exceptional – that questions about his temperament are justified even at this stage.
Read more: I had to grasp the chance to play for massive club like Rangers, says Joe Garner
The first league meeting with Celtic in four years will be played at Parkhead a fortnight tomorrow. Does he have the cool head needed to deal with the hostile and intimidating atmosphere which will be generated by 60,000 supporters? Is he a nasty player? Or is he simply misunderstood?
“Misunderstood,” insisted Garner as he spoke to the media ahead of a Ladbrokes Premiership against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park tonight in which he is likely to make his Rangers debut in if fit.
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“The way Preston played last season was part of it. In League One the season before we had a lot of the ball and created a lot of chances. Coming up into the Championship as the promoted team we had to change our own style of play to stay in there.
“The gaffer had a way of setting up and that was his way of playing. We pressed high and tried not to let the other team out by playing that high press. We finished 11th in the league so it was a good year for us all.”
Garner, though, did admit that, should the occasion demand it, he will not be afraid to mix it up. “I give as much as I get and I look forward to that,” he said.
Having a player with that aggressive nature could, if Garner channels it correctly, be advantageous for Rangers when they meet their city rivals in 15 days’ time. It is a fixture the new signing is certainly looking forward to.
Read more: I had to grasp the chance to play for massive club like Rangers, says Joe Garner
"There is a big buzz about the city over the game and it's a worldwide fixture really,” he said. "Since Rangers' interest in me came out, my phone hasn't stopped ringing with people asking for tickets. I'm buzzing to be part of it.
"I have never been to one, but I did watch a few on TV. I've heard about the atmosphere and I just want to embrace it. Will my style suit the derby? We'll soon see. I spoke to the gaffer and he knows my strengths and weaknesses. It's down to him really.
“We have a lot of talented players and we have a lot of the ball. The team creates a lot of chances and hopefully I can get in the box and get a few goals.
“It’s a massive game and all the lads in there are looking forward to it, but we have Kilmarnock first and most of the concentration in there is going on that at the minute.”
Garner will increase his chances of being involved in the Celtic match greatly if he gets on the artificial pitch at Rugby Park this evening and helps Rangers record a league win against Kilmarnock. Despite only training with his new club for a few days he feels ready to feature.
"I've had some training sessions now and I am available,” he said. “It would be good to get a game in, but that's down the gaffer and I will roll with it. The lads have done well.
“The intensity the lads train at is second to none. The backroom staff put a helluva lot of work into the training sessions, never mind the games.
Read more: I had to grasp the chance to play for massive club like Rangers, says Joe Garner
“Through speaking to the gaffer and with the way he set-ups up, you can see everybody goes out at the weekend knowing their jobs and what he wants from them. No stone is left unturned.
“Both Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar are top, top players at the highest level. Joey has been around and he’s really experienced. I played against him a few times last year and he’s a top, top player.”
The game this evening may, if he gets a run-out, be his first for Rangers and his first in Scotland. But Garner knows what he will be up against having played under the Kilmarnock manager Lee Clark before. He also revealed that he came close to signing for Dundee United earlier in his career.
"I was at Huddersfield under Lee for three months on loan and he did really well there,” he said. “He had a long unbeaten record. He is a top manager and I wish him all the best at Kilmarnock. I'm sure he will be looking to get three points.
“Dundee United wanted to sign me in 2007. I walked round their ground. But I ended up getting in the car and going down the road again to sign for Carlisle on loan. My old youth team manager Eric Kinder was there.
“I was really close to signing for Dundee United, to be fair. Craig Levein was United manager. Was he happy with me? It’s a long story. Eric did all he could to get me there and did that. The rest is history.”
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