Gordon Smith believes Borna Barisic’s future at Ibrox will be determined by his reaction to the £3.4million signing of Turkey left back Ridvan Yilmaz. And as the former Rangers striker and director of football launched a new venture with business partner Colin Stevenson in Glasgow, he admitted he will be fascinated to see if the Croat meets the challenge head on or throws in the towel and concedes that if Gio van Bronckhorst has spent that kind of money on a player for his position then Barisic is going to be spending more time than he wants on the bench.
Mindset is very much at the forefront of his Flow Sport business programme, already patented and run successfully in the US, where sports clubs are benefiting from one-to-one sessions with their squads designed to provide coaches with information on the mental well-being or otherwise of each individual.
Smith firmly believes that athletic ability and fitness can only take a player so far. What goes on between the ears is just as important and when a new signing is made - and Yilmaz is the seventh to arrive at Ibrox this summer - the reaction of those they may be replacing is crucial.
“ Rangers have brought in Ridvan Yilmaz and someone like Borna Barisic should be thinking he has to show he is the better player,” Smith said. "He has to prove to the manager he is first choice. I have had it at clubs. I remember at Brighton they signed Mickey Thomas and he told me he was coming in to play in left midfield which was my position.
“He told the manager he couldn’t do the same thing I did as I stuck to my position and he liked to be more mobile and wanted to play in the centre. I stayed in the team but if I had dropped out, I would have to have waited for my chance.
“If I was dropped I would look at myself and what I hadn’t done and I would speak to the manager about what I could do to get back in. It’s tough if you aren’t playing and you have to deal with it. If you are already there when the manager comes in and he brings in someone new, they tend to be the manager’s favourite.
“He picked the new signing and not you. I’ve seen players who down tools and don’t take it the right way. It’s crucial in who makes it and who doesn’t and a lot of it is through the mindset. A lot of people say the main thing is about ability and fitness but the mindset and attitude of players are major factors.”
While Yilmaz and Barisic are competing for the left back slot, further forward Smith is hoping that Alfredo Morelos signs a new deal that would give van Bronckhorst serious competition for places up front.
He said: “It is important Rangers keep hold of Morelos. If you are competing for honours you want competition for places and they have that in other areas. It’s maybe something they didn’t really have last season.
“Antonio Colak has come in and he looks good so far. He’s a good target man and he can hold the ball up, he’s physically strong. But they need someone who can score goals and Morelos does that. They will want to get him fit as soon as possible and get him back to his best.
“His record is superb and if they can tie him down then it is a massive positive. The fact he has been injured has maybe stopped clubs making a move for him.
“If he had carried on scoring goals last season then other teams may have tried to tempt him away. I’m a bit surprised they haven’t added another striker but then if Morelos stays that’s maybe why they haven’t. There is still time yet for them to do that.
“Against Tottenham I looked at the bench and you could have put out a good side who could compete in the league from the subs. In order to get the best out of players, you need to have competition.
“You don’t want anyone thinking he is definitely going to start, he has to know his performances determine whether he will play. It’s tough on the guys waiting to be involved but if they aren’t playing the guy who has started has done his job.”
Smith admits he can’t wait to see how the new season pans out but he is predicting a tougher than ever task for those outwith the Old Firm to make an impact on the big two.
He said: “I can see it being close between the Old Firm and I can’t see anyone else getting too close. They have a big financial gulf between them and the rest, now and again teams will play well against them, but over the season it is tough. Hearts will want to repeat their success of last season but the likes of Aberdeen and Hibs will need to improve after last year. They won’t want that to be the same this season.”
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