STEVEN Davis has expressed doubt about his ability to return from injury and play for both Rangers and Northern Ireland again ahead of his second game as caretaker manager of the Ibrox club today.
Davis, who took charge of the Glasgow giants on a temporary basis following the sacking of Michael Beale last Sunday, has been sidelined since suffering a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament last December.
The central midfielder was, despite his contract expiring in the summer, determined to represent both his club and country once more and had been working his way back to full fitness at Auchenhowie before making the move into the dugout.
However, the 38-year-old - who is, having made no fewer than 140 appearances for his national team, the most capped outfield player in the history of British football – is unsure if he will be able to extend his playing days.
Speaking ahead of the cinch Premiership match against second-placed St Mirren at the SMISA Stadium in Paisley this afternoon, Davis confessed that his rehabilitation had been put on hold since replacing Beale.
“Initially after my injury, that (returning to playing) was my number one intention,” he said. “No decision has been made, but this opportunity came up and that has delayed my rehab for now.
“You must have something that drives you whether that’s realistic or unrealistic. You just never know in football. I was hoping around this time I’d be ready to come back to training on a regular basis.
“But my rehab hasn’t been as smooth as I would have liked. I’m a bit behind schedule from where I might have been. That isn’t the case so I’ll need to make a decision further along the line and see what my options are in terms of playing.
“I’m at the stage now where I’m assessing things every couple of weeks and seeing how it develops, in terms of getting back to playing. The longer it goes, the less time you have at my age.”
Davis added: “I’d love to be able to pull on the jersey for this club again and to play for Northern Ireland. That was my intention when I got injured - not to make this the defining moment or the end moment of my career. But as you get older, these things are more difficult.
“I was getting myself in a better place in the last few weeks, in terms of how my knee felt. That was a step in the right direction but I have to wait and see. There has definitely been no rehab in the last few days, that’s for sure.”
Asked if he would consider becoming a member of the new Rangers manager’s backroom team, Davis said: “I haven’t given that any consideration because this has come so much out of the blue.
“In terms of the number of games I might take, it’s up in the air. I knew the remit, it was just a case of trying to influence things in the short term. I’ll assess it as I go along and that will be determined by who comes in. I wouldn’t want to speculate on anything too far ahead.”
Davis’s first game in charge of Rangers did not go according to plan – the Ibrox club lost their Europa League match to Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday evening.
But the man who has played in two European finals for his boyhood heroes – the UEFA Cup final in 2008 and the Europa League final last year – sensed that self-belief was low in the understrength squad which he inherited due to a run of disappointing domestic form.
He has experienced such slumps on numerous occasions in his own playing days and has made lifting morale one of his main priorities.
James Tavernier and his team mates will have to get back to their best against Stephen Robinson’s on-form side, who have won four and drawn three of their seven league fixtures this term, this afternoon.
“As a player who’s had a long career, you go through periods where you have a shortage of confidence,” he said. “It can be different things. Sometimes it’s your own personal performance and at other times it can affect the whole team.
“If you’ve had a career, the likelihood is you’ll have been through something like this. They are always difficult moments and that’s what we’re in right now. That’s why it’s important that we stick together because we have to turn this around.
“As a player, you just have to keep putting in the work and doing the right things. You almost have to work yourself through it. If you do that, something will change or something will come off. When it does, then you start building up your confidence again.
“We’ve got who we’ve got inside the building. So we all have to take responsibility to do that.”
Davis has played under many outstanding managers since making his debut for Aston Villa as a wide-eyed teenager was back in 2004 – but few have compared to the legendary Walter Smith.
He has drawn on the lessons he learned working under the Scot in Govan in the days since he stepped up to become Rangers manager.
“Walter just had that aura about him,” he said. He got respect straight away, as soon as he walked into a room. When you had your little moments with him, he could be a really funny guy as well.
“He was just top drawer at man-managing people. I thought he was brilliant at understanding people’s different personalities. He knew what they needed at certain times.
“Also, tactically the way he could read a game was fantastic. He could see how a game was going to turn out and what needed to be done. He was just a special man and someone I have ultimate respect for.”
Davis continued: “I’ve tried to use my experience and what I’ve picked up. But ultimately, you have to be yourself. If you’re not, people will see through you. I’ve got enough relationships within the dressing-room and I want to try and help them.
“I’ve got huge frustration about Thursday night and how it worked out. But we’ve got a quick turnaround and we have to put it right against St Mirren.”
Davis knows that a victory over St Mirren is, having suffered three Premiership losses this term and fallen seven points behind leaders Celtic, absolutely vital for Rangers.
“The first step is to win the game and go into the international break on a positive because it’s been a tough few weeks for the boys,” he said. “If we do that, the break will give the club time to work through things and decide what direction it’s going in. It will give everyone a life after a difficult period.”
