DAVID TEMPLETON feels the Rangers squad were not being 'coached the right way' before Stuart McCall's arrival at Ibrox last month.

 

McCall has overseen a significant improvement in terms of results and performances in recent weeks after he replaced Kenny McDowall in the dugout and has recorded back-to-back wins to take Rangers level on points with second-placed Hibernian in the Championship table.

Before his departure from the club in March, McDowall oversaw a run of just one win in seven games as Rangers were eliminated from the League Cup by Celtic and lost further ground in their attempt to win promotion to the Premiership this season. By the time McDowall was installed as interim boss, Rangers' ambitions of a third successive title under Ally McCoist, who remains on gardening leave, were over after falling well off the pace set by champions Hearts.

Robbie Neilson's side head to Ibrox tomorrow afternoon for McCall's fifth match in charge and Templeton admits there has been a noticeable difference at Murray Park since the former Rangers midfielder was installed as boss.

He said: "For me, it's a coaching thing - we're being coached more and building up to game we're working on different formations, which players are going to play, movements, all different stuff, like most teams probably do. For me it has been great, everybody going into a game knows what they have to do, basically.

"The tempo of training, the intensity, everything has been right up and it has been really enjoyable actually, but tough. That's what we needed.

"I don't think we were being coached the right way. We weren't going into games working on the stuff I think we should have been working on, which we are doing now and that is showing with the results."

After easing to the Third Division and League One titles in consecutive seasons under the guidance of McCoist and assistant manager McDowall, Rangers have found the going considerably tougher this time around and have never looked like mounting a challenge to runaway league leaders Hearts.

McCall drew his first two matches in charge of Rangers against Livingston and Alloa at Ibrox but there has been a marked improvement in terms of the performances, with wins over Hibernian and Cowdenbeath easing fears they could miss out on a play-off place this term.

Supporters have made their displeasure known about the standards on the park on several occasions this season and, when asked if the players had spoken about the training amongst themselves, Templeton said: "Yes of course, we came together and tried to... obviously going into games we should probably still have won games we didn't.

"But going into games knowing what you have to help does definitely help and I think that showed in the Hibs games two weeks ago.

"They changed the formation and shut out their midfield, their most creative part, and that showed with the result.

"They didn't create any chances - I don't think Cammy (Bell) had a save to make. That was just through working on things during the week."

Having spent his first few weeks in the job casting his eye over the entire Rangers squad, McCall admitted this week that he now has selection problems to solve ahead of the Hearts fixture tomorrow after being impressed with a number of his players.

Templeton revealed there were 'a lot of possession games' under previous management teams but insists he has no problem with bosses implementing their own methods on a squad.

He said: "It's not that I think it's better coaching, every coach has a different style and the way we were going I think we needed to work on things and going back to playing well and defending well because we were gifting too many goals.

"I think that was through us not working on the back four against whoever we were playing. So I don't think that it's he was a bad coach or anything. Since the manager came in we've worked on the things we've had to work on."