Richard Foster knows what it’s like to go from Aberdeen to Rangers.
From a club where a draw is sometimes acceptable – to one where you have to win at all costs.
Dealing with that high expectation can be difficult for any player.
And that’s why he’s been so impressed by Scott Wright ’s end-of-season form at Ibrox.
The wide man, signed by ex-Gers boss Steven Gerrard in February last year, took a while to settle after his switch from Pittodrie.
But especially under gaffer Gio van Bronckhorst, Wright has excelled.
He went from being a bit-part squad player to a Europa League starter as Rangers went all the way to Seville.
And in their Scottish Cup Final win against Hearts, Wright came off the bench to have a major impact, scoring the clinching goal in extra-time. When Foster was signed on loan from Aberdeen by Walter Smith in 2010, his mentality had to change if he wanted to mix it with Gers’ established stars.
He believes Wright will have gone through a similar experience, playing alongside the likes of skipper James Tavernier and Connor Goldson.
And after watching him excel at Hampden he’s now convinced the 24-year-old can go on to be a key player for Van Bronckhorst next term.
Foster told MailSport : “It takes time to settle at a club like Rangers because of the huge expectations, especially on the flair players.
“They need to hit the ground running and start to score or create chances pretty quickly. So Scott took a bit of time to bed in. But when he came on in the Scottish Cup Final he gave Rangers a different dimension.
“He always wants to turn, run at defenders and make things happen.
“The biggest difference going from Aberdeen to Rangers is just that level of expectation.
“At Aberdeen you’re not expected to win every week.
“But if you lose a game at Rangers, you know Celtic will probably win and gain points on you.
“So your mindset and mentality have to be different at Rangers. You see it in players when you go to Ibrox.
“When I went there it was David Weir, Lee McCulloch, Steven Naismith, Allan McGregor.
“It’s just about winning. You must win, whatever it takes.
“To get yourself into that mindset is difficult because you’re not used to it. Scott will have found that coming from Aberdeen. At Pittodrie there will be games when you’ve played well and drawn – but that’s OK.
“But that’s just not the case at Ibrox.
“Scott will have picked it up from the likes of McGregor, Steven Davis, Goldson and Tavernier.
“And his goal against Hearts was just fantastic.
“He makes it look simple against Scotland’s best goalie Craig Gordon.
“The ball from Ryan Kent was behind him so he actually had to slow down his run.
“But he sorted his feet out and got a great strike away. He made it look like a five-yard tap-in.
“I hope he can become a major player for Rangers next season – and I see no reason why not.
“Winning the cup helps and he has to look at Kent and say: ‘I want to be that guy, Rangers’ main attacking threat in the wide areas.’ That’s the level Scott has to get to. I actually think he has more goals in him than Kent, he’s more of a threat.
“If he adds that to his all-round game, next season he can go on to become one of the first names in van Bronckhorst’s team.”
Wright started for Rangers against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League Final which was a huge show of faith from his manager.
Foster believes the winger now has the confidence he maybe lacked when he first arrived at the club, to feel like he belongs at Ibrox.
He said: “To go from Aberdeen to starting in a European final is some journey to go on.
“You need to be a seven or eight out of 10 every week at Rangers.
“That’s hard for a wide player, where you constantly need to create.
“To be able to do that and cope with it, is tough. But for Scott, the end of the season has probably come at the wrong time.
“He was looking like he’d found his feet in terms of his level of performance and consistency.
“What I like about him is that he doesn’t just play safe, even when he comes off the bench.
“He gets on the ball, wants to take players on and take chances.
“To be creative you need to take risks and Scott isn’t afraid to do that.
“Earlier in his Rangers career he probably just wanted to take the ball and not lose it.
“But now he looks as though he’s comfortable there.
“He’s trying things because he believes now that he’s in the team to be creative.”
Wright has normally been deployed on the right of Rangers’ front three, behind captain and talisman Tavernier.
Foster, who played at full-back for Partick Thistle last season, reckons the Englishman has been a stand-out at Ibrox.
And that’s why he says Wright couldn’t be learning from anyone better at Rangers.
Foster is hugely impressed by the Ibrox skipper and said: “Those types of players like Tavernier are huge in a dressing-room.
“They’ve been there and done it. The numbers he has produced this season are ridiculous.
“A lot of the time, he’s the one who’s had to pick Rangers up.
“But Scott will look at him and think: ‘He’s the guy I need to learn from because he knows what it takes to be successful here.’”
