CONNOR Barron has expressed confidence Rangers have the quality they need to challenge Celtic for the Scottish title this season as he prepared for a crucial spell which will see him return to Pittodrie for the first time since leaving this summer.
Barron and his team mates were booed off the park by their furious supporters after they had lost 1-0 to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park last Sunday and remained six points adrift of leaders Celtic and Aberdeen in the William Hill Premiership table.
They responded to that reverse in impressive fashion on Thursday night and put that bitter disappointment firmly behind them when they thrashed Romanian champions FCSB 4-0 in Govan to boost their chances of reaching the knockout rounds of the Europa League.
As the midfielder prepared for the league meeting with St Mirren at home this afternoon, he admitted the display in Ayrshire last weekend had been unacceptable and acknowledged the Glasgow side need to maintain the level of performance they produced in midweek.
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“It was good to win on Thursday night,” said Barron. “We obviously had a reaction after the weekend. We came out of the traps fast, we didn't stop our standards, we were always high during the game. That's something that should be a given to wear the shirt. From now on, that needs to be the way we play every single week.
“We left everything out on the pitch on Thursday night. It was a real team performance. In our attacking situations, we really controlled the game and we obviously got the four goals. But we got the clean sheet as well. We came away happy.
“Obviously, it was good on the back of the last European game too. We lost against Lyon and we weren't happy. We're never happy losing. We need to be winning games at this football club. We all know that.
“Thursday was a good reaction all round. But we shouldn't need that reaction. That should be what we are producing every week. That's the standard of wearing the Rangers shirt. That's got to continue. It can't stop.”
He stressed that he has not experienced any difficulties adapting to the intense demands of Rangers supporters and insisted the adverse reactions to the Hearts, Dynamo Kyiv, Celtic, Lyon and Kilmarnock results have not affected him.
“I'm really enjoying it,” he said. “I think you can see I'm going out there with a smile on my face and embracing it. It's brilliant for me. I'm really enjoying it.
“I'm focused on my football. I'm focused on my day-to-day job. Coming in, making myself a better player, making the team better, ultimately going out there and putting on performances for team performances and winning games of football. That's all it is.
“I definitely think I have come on. But you can say that about any player that makes the move. I'm thriving off the staff and the players around me. Playing on nights like Thursday is always good.
“It's constantly learning on the job and making sure I'm making myself better and the team better. I've always been like that. Growing up, I've always liked to be a leader on the pitch. I feel within myself that I read the game quite well. That won't stop.
“I'm not focused on anything else. I don't see it (the criticism). We're a team inside there. We know what we need to do. I think we showed the right reaction on Thursday night. As I said before, we can't stop. This needs to be what we do every week.”
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Barron continued: “The noise outside will be the noise. That's nothing we can affect. We need to make sure we do our jobs. That's getting three points or getting a win whenever we play.
“The fans are massive. They've always been behind us. They've always showed their support. When they're unhappy, it’s quite rightly so. We didn't perform at the weekend, they were unhappy. That's the way it is. That's the way football is.
“But they were right behind us on Thursday night. You could see that. We just need to keep repaying them. Doing our job is making them go home happy every week. That's what we need to do.”
Clement brought in no fewer than nine new players, including Nedim Bajrami, Barron, Vaclav Cerny, Hamza Igamane, Jefte, Robin Propper and Neraysho Kasanwirjo, this summer and Clement has repeatedly stressed his new-look side is a work in progress.
“Really convinced,” he said ahead a difficult run of games against St Mirren at home and Aberdeen, Motherwell and Olympiacos away. “We need to show more of what we did on Thursday night when we're playing. It's a collective effort. We need to win and keep winning. They're all big games.
“Nico [Raskin] came in and played alongside me on Thursday night. That shows that there's quality in the team. We knew that. I think it was only the second time we've played in a game with Nico.
“But whoever's on the pitch, we gel. It's about us as a team. It's not about individual partnerships and stuff like that. Nico came in on Thursday night and I thought he was brilliant.
“I think we owed everyone a performance after Sunday. It just wasn't good enough. We owed ourselves that, but we owed everyone, the fans, the club, everybody. On Thursday night we did it. But it's not just that one game. We need to continue. A win's a win. You go again, it's done now. We move on and our next focus is on St Mirren.”
