He has only been in the door for six weeks. But it hasn’t taken long for Todd Cantwell to realise exactly what’s required at Rangers.
And after tasting an Old Firm defeat for the first time, he says he felt the pain as much as anyone in Michael Beale’s dressing-room. The 25-year-old playmaker is new to life in Glasgow after arriving from Norwich City in the January window. But Cantwell is already up to speed with how it works in the city. His only loss so far came at the hands of Celtic last month in the Viaplay Cup Final at Hampden. And with Gers still trailing their bitter rivals at the top of the Premiership, Beale and his players are under the microscope.
At Ibrox, anything other than a win over Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup quarter-final is unthinkable. And Cantwell wouldn’t have it any other way. The Englishman was sold a vision by Beale before he left Carrow Road for Govan. That was to get Rangers back on top and winning silverware again. He bought into it and is relishing his new pressure-pot environment. As he prepared to face the Championship side this afternoon, he said: “I’m not so into the off-the-pitch stuff. I’m here for a reason, to win things and concentrate on what matters. Obviously, the cup final didn’t go to plan but there’s a project here and I think we’re building towards something.
“I definitely think this squad have the mentality to win things. I can only go off what I’ve seen since I’ve been here. I really believe it. I saw the hurt in the players and felt it as well after Hampden. I’d only been here a month but it really opened my eyes to how much it means and how important it is for Rangers and the players. It definitely shows how intense it is.
“But the important thing as a team and individuals is just to concentrate on ourselves. We can’t get too distracted by what’s in the future. We have to attack every game now and continue to take steps in the right direction. The building blocks to move forward will be what we do this season. We have to keep buying into it. We can’t get bored. We can’t get tired or sloppy.
“Winning cups is the reason I came to Rangers. I didn’t come just to win league games and not get trophies. I came to win as much as I possibly can and know that’s aligned with everyone else in the changing room. That goes for the management team as well. So that gives us more hunger going into this cup tie against Raith.”
It wasn’t so long ago that Cantwell was impressing in the Premier League with Norwich and being tipped for moves to bigger clubs worth double-digit millions. He’d have been sought after down south before Beale made his move. But Cantwell is adamant the manager didn’t have to twist his arm to join the club. Beale has promised major changes in his squad this summer and a fresh, vibrant Rangers. Cantwell, along with fellow new boy Nico Raskin, will be a poster boy for that and he’s willing to take on the challenge.
He said: “Persuade isn’t the word. As a player, you have to be very careful that you make the right decision for your career because it can be over pretty quickly. I can’t speak for Nico but I had to make sure this was the right move for me at this moment in time. The manager didn’t need to persuade me to come here – I wanted to come.
“I came for a reason – and that’s to win things. It’s exciting for me to be part of it. I bought into the project that I was sold here. So far it’s exactly what it was said to be. I’m happy with my position and everything here so far. I’m enjoying myself and hopefully my performances just keep improving.
“The manager here can make me a better player, 100 per cent. Him and the rest of the coaching staff are fantastic. I thought they’d be good but I’ve actually been impressed by just how good they have been. On a day-to-day basis, we are all becoming better footballers.”
Cantwell is beginning to assert himself more in this Rangers team, along with Belgian midfielder Raskin. He says they’ve already developed a partnership on the pitch in terms of how they play. And Cantwell is convinced that his own performances for Gers can still go up another few notches.
He said: “Nico is a very good player and he’s similar to me in some aspects. We both like to get on the ball and link up. Last week (wins against Kilmarnock and Hibs) were a good opportunity for us to play together and show that we have similar mindsets. We already have an understanding on the pitch. Some players, if they’re similar, they just get each other. And that’s something we’ve definitely got.
“It’s difficult to predict as a player how far away you are from top form. I know what I’m capable of and I’m building in the right direction, which I’m happy with. If my limit is what it is, so be it. But I believe within myself that there’s still a lot more to come.”
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