The sky-high demands of the Rangers fans are no surprise for a man who came through the ranks at one of the biggest clubs in the world with the expectations to match.
Malik Tillman didn’t need to be told the pressure was on Gers at the weekend as he hopped out of the Bayern Munich frying pan and into the Glasgow fire. The playmaker understands it’s win at all costs at these kinds of clubs – and even then, it might not be enough.
Fans expect to be entertained as well – which is why Tillman was thrilled to get Ibrox bouncing like a Bavarian beer hall again on Saturday. The borrowed Bayern youngster could have been forgiven for wondering what the fuss was about. Getting booed after beating Dundee. Jeered in the wake of a draw with Livingston. Questions being asked about the manager’s future. Talk of Aberdeen at the weekend being a must-win.
The Champions League has been a nightmare but all this after six wins and a draw in seven domestic matches? Tillman knows the score – and helped Rangers deliver when they needed it most as the Dons were swatted aside to deliver some much needed cheer to the Light Blues legions.
When asked about the intense heat, the attacker smiled: “I came from Bayern Munich – I am kind of used to it! We are under pressure every game, especially from ourselves. We have the mindset of wanting to win every game. We didn’t win our last game so needed to bounce back. We did that in a good way.”
He wasn’t wrong. Rangers were facing outright revolt when Aberdeen took the lead at Ibrox but this time Gio van Bronckhorst’s men found the backbone to roar back to form and turn some of those frowns upside down.
Tillman said: “It was very important to get the win, to get some enjoyment back for the team and the fans. Then fans make a big impact on us, especially after losing a goal. It was very important and it’s great to have these fans at our back.
“When you are three or four goals up you always want to score more and bring the joy back to the fans. They have been missing it the last few weeks so we tried to score as many goals as we could.
“It was a good performance. Everyone in the team wants to win every game. The mentality is still good, even though we lost in the Champions League. That’s what you saw on Saturday.
“I think we had to bounce back from the game this week. We went into the game to win it, to show the fans again what we can do. And I think we did that pretty well. I was told by (fitness coach) Arno Philips before the game there is a big rivalry between Aberdeen and Rangers so I guess we tried to show them what we can do and bring back our joy to play again.”
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Tillman’s display also cheered up the punters. The Bayern lad has been an enigma so far at Ibrox. It’s clear he oozes talent but can he go from producing moments of magic to being a contender in the hide and seek championships.
There were still some drifting at the weekend but it was a much more complete performance from the attacker, who constantly popped up in the kind of pockets of space where he could inflict maximum damage on a Dons defence playing musical statues.
Teammate John Lundstram – who bagged the second goal before half-time – raved about Tillman after the game. The Scouser is convinced the young USA international is something special and the punters should be boosting the kid rather than knocking him down.
Lundstram said: “He is massive. He is a young kid and people need to stick behind him and lift him up and encourage him.
“Tell him how good he can be and how good he is because he is phenomenal. He’s honestly one of the best young talents I have seen so people need to stick behind him and stick with him rather than him having one bad game and people talking about him needing to be dropped. People need to be lifting people up.”
Tillman was doing the lifting at the weekend – and he promises there is a lot more to come as he said: “I was okay. I wanted to score a goal as well but I didn’t do it. All in all I can still improve myself. I am pretty happy.
“It’s different to the game in Europe. It suits me and it suits us as a team. I can always improve. I want to play as much as I can and be a better player every game.
“Yes, I have had my ups and downs. But I feel I have way more to learn, especially from our key players in the team. I can learn from them every single day. I try to learn every single game. I would say I can still improve.
“Everyone thinks if you don’t play it is a bit frustrating. You have to look forward and keep working and doing the best you can. If you train hard you are going to play again.”
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