TODD CANTWELL stood in front of the signage that he walks by every day on his way into Auchenhowie. He spoke about the future with the past as his backdrop.
The words - reading 'The world's most successful football club' - sit above the details of Rangers' roll of honour on the wall of the first team reception area. On the journey through the corridors, the images of famous triumphs tell of yesteryear and set the standards for those of today.
Such a burden can so often weigh heavily on those who enter Ibrox or the training base on the outskirts of Milngavie. Cantwell is, he believes, not one of them, though.
He arrived from Norwich City with the Premiership title race all-but a foregone conclusion and lost cause. The League Cup defeat to Celtic still hurts many but a return to Hampden this weekend now offers opportunity for Michael Beale' side as Rangers seek to defend the Scottish Cup that was won after an Old Firm triumph at this stage last term.
That achievement would see Rangers win the competition for a 35th time. Come next term, it is all about 56 once again and the work that Beale does in the summer will go some way to determining how long that status as the kings of Scotland can be held onto for.
"Yeah, I think that's something that no-one wants to lose," Cantwell said when asked about the tagline as he admitted he had been 'blown away' by the medals and memorabilia on display during a look around the Ibrox Trophy Room. "It's something that we have and it's something we want to hold on to.
"So, whatever we're in, whatever we're doing, you know the responsibility of playing these games. It doesn't matter what you're playing for. You're playing for Rangers and you have to win the game.
"I got told about [title 55]. So yeah, it was one of those where, you know, like I said, I want add to that. I don't want it to be on 55 by the time I part ways with the football club."
Beale returned to Glasgow just weeks before Cantwell made his move across the border. The 42-year-old was, of course, fully cognisant about the demands and expectations that are on his shoulders and what he must ask of those that he builds his squad around next term.
It is all fine and well being able to beat the rest, as Rangers have done under Beale. It is quite another to beat the best, though, and that is the challenge that awaits in Beale's fourth Old Firm encounter as a manager.
"No, I think if I'm being honest, it's quite obvious," Cantwell said when asked if his team-mates had stressed the importance of Old Firm fixtures and trophies to him. "You know, I think we've got a a big rivalry with another big team in the league that you know, you fight, you tend to fight for most titles domestically and and obviously in the cup as well.
"So I think, you know, I don't think the players really need to explain that. One that was quite obvious."
Victory over Celtic on Sunday would change the dynamic of the campaign and give Rangers a silver lining to take from a season that has seen the dark clouds gather over Ibrox. It will, at least, be time for a fresh start.
😁 @ToddCantwell_10 pic.twitter.com/HzwXGHbOrp
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) April 15, 2023
The remaining Premiership fixtures carry their own significance but it is Sunday that stands head and shoulders above all else. It is a fixture that cannot be understated in terms of importance and Cantwell is confident he has the mentality to handle the occasion.
"Yeah, I think it's kind of, it's something you have or you don't," Cantwell said. "I've always enjoyed pressure, even since I was a little kid. You know, when we got to the cup final, it was normally when you see the best in me. So I've always enjoyed that.
"Obviously, signing for Rangers and the magnitude of the club, I think it's something that you have to enjoy because if you don't, like you say, it can get the better of you. But for me, honestly, you know, good times, bad times... I know obviously things are going well now, but you know that attitude for me won't change.
"Obviously you can't promise good performances, which is a shame. Listen, there's only one thing you can always promise, and that's sort of like your effort.
"And that's something where in big games, I think it's actually probably more important to let the team know that they're in for a game. Against the ball is sometimes just as important as on it."
Cantwell was signed with the expectation that he will deliver on the park and he has made an encouraging start to his Rangers career. Off it, he has settled into the squad and the city as well as he could have hoped for and he is an interesting, engaging character to speak to.
He pinpoints the 'respect' between players of different backgrounds and experiences as crucial to that process and speaks appreciatively about how his bond with the supporters has been formed 'organically' during his first months here.
There is an admission that he struggles to hide his excitement for the stand-out fixtures on the schedule but, having had periods where he has not featured in recent times, he is savouring every match at present. The next one is certainly one to relish.
"You know, I don't see those games as scary games," Cantwell said. "I see those games as the games where you go and prove what you're about. You know, it's all good and well people saying you're this, you're that, it's those sort of games you go and show you're this and that.
"So for me, like I said, it's really important that above all else you work hard in those games and you give you give the other team a real good go."
Cantwell has shown that he won't be daunted on derby day. Now he must deliver in one and produce the kind of game-changing, match-winning moment that he is capable of.
A famous clip of him nonchalantly juggling the ball before taking a penalty in an FA Cup shoot-out win over Tottenham Hotspur is proof of his mentality when all eyes are on him. It wasn't an attempt to show off, but another manifestation of a composure that has been evident throughout his career.
"It's just something that I just keep on my mind, I think it's something I need to work on because I get too excited for it and I think that's when the disappointment hits too hard," Cantwell said. "Even, I remember when I was a kid, we used to win a game, and if I hadn't done what I wanted to, I'd be fuming. Do you know what I mean?
"I think the players that want to take on that responsibility, they have it and the players that don't don't. But I think to play at Rangers you have to have it."
If Beale can get the best out of Cantwell next term, then the playmaker could have a significant say in the Premiership title race. It is one that those nearest and dearest to him will see at close hand as they continue to make the long journey north from Norfolk and he is appreciative for that 'solid' support network around him.
Cantwell has yet to have his full say on his departure from Carrow Road. A message on his Twitter account last week teased at 'the truth' but was soon deleted after a change of heart.
"Listen, I think it is a timing thing," Cantwell said. "I think, yeah, I made a little mistake [on Thursday] night by thinking it was a good time to say, you know, a sort of like a goodbye to Norwich fans, about giving them what they want here, which is obviously what happened.
"Right now, I think finishing the season is the best thing to do for me and I think I'll say what I need to say and can say at the end of the season."
