RANGERS boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst was speaking ahead of the Scottish Cup clash with Stirling Albion at Ibrox on Friday night.

Here is everything he had to say.

How has your squad come through Tuesday night?

Good, we don’t have any major concerns, just some stiffness. Physically we were ok after the game.

Is Friday too soon for Kemar Roofe and Ryan Jack?

Not for Kemar, he will be involved tomorrow as will Leon Balogun. For Ryan, it’s too early.

Scott Arfield and Steven Davis?

Arfield trained a little bit with the team today so hopefully, he will join us at the beginning of next week and hopefully, Steve Davis will join us sometime next week.

How much of a blow is it that Alfredo Morelos has been called up for international duty?

He’s been in really good form, especially in the last months for me when I came in. I think he’s had a great development in every aspect of the games so I’m really happy for him and also for Rangers that he’s in good momentum. You see when he’s playing well he gets called up for Colombia’s national team so he won’t be with us for the coming weeks as he tries to qualify for Qatar at the end of the year.

How frustrating is it that you can’t appeal Ryan Kent’s red card?

It’s a rule that’s there, you cannot change the ruling. It was a very hectic game, good intensity but if I look back, especially the second yellow is very harsh for him. Ryan tries to block the ball, I don’t think he caught the player but it’s the way it is, I think the team reacted well after the red card to maintain the draw and not to concede any goal in the latter stages of the game. But we cannot change the ruling, sometimes you wish you could as a coach but it’s the way it is so we have to respect that and take it as it is.

You have fond memories of the Scottish Cup, winning it twice, how important is it that you do well in the competition?

It’s very important because it’s the shortest amount of games to win a major prize so in that perspective we’ll do everything to win this cup. I think every prize you play for you have to go with the same intention and same intensity as you always have because you want to play finals. I had it as a player and I have the same feeling as a coach so we have to make sure we are able to win another major prize for this club.

Given it’s a cup game, does that give you a chance to change things about in your squad and a chance for you to have a look at them?

It’s a chance for me to rotate my squad a little bit, it’s always nice when you are able to do that. It’s also a chance to give players minutes who need them or if they are coming back from injury or haven’t been playing much in the last weeks and months.

Are you still hoping to bring in more players in the transfer window and could John Souttar come in in January?

John is a Rangers player from next season on so that hasn’t changed. At this moment, he won’t be joining us but the window is still open for 11 days so anything can happen. For me, it’s still uncertain how the squad will look in 11 days but you have to be prepared.

How disappointing is it to lose Alfredo Morelos for such a big game?

Obviously, you want to have your full squad for every game and at this moment we miss Aribo and Morelos. That’s not what you want but it’s the way it is. If you have international games during the league it always gives you difficult situations not only for me and the club but also for players because they’re stuck between playing for their country and their club. I know what the club means for Joe and Alfredo but as an international player I also know how important it is to be successful for your national team so it’s a battle you can’t win as a player.

How difficult is it to strike a balance between rotation but keeping the good performances?

I don’t think it’s difficult at all because we approach Stirling Albion as normal. We watched games of them, we did the analysis today, we trained tactically today as well to prepare the players for tomorrow. From my point of view, there’s no difference. Of course, we respect our opponent, they’re a couple of levels below us but our intention will always be the same and I told the players as well to make sure we do the things we have to do. We see this game as another opportunity to get minutes under our belts, to develop our game plan, to develop our movements within games so, for me, it's very simple, it’s another game we have to play and we want to win.

You are going to be without Aribo, Morelos and Ryan Kent is suspended, is it up to other players to step up in terms of the creativity or do you need to look at tweaking the system?

You have a good balance in your team as you want because you want some flexibility in players you can use in different positions. You cannot have a squad full of creativity because there has to be a balance but if you lose some players with creativity there won’t be many players left. I think we still have opportunities in our squad with our creativity, we have some youngsters coming through who can also fit that role so for me, it’s just making sure you have the players available who are here tomorrow and we will use them as we have used all the players in the past.

Leon King and Charlie McCann were on the bench on Tuesday night, will there be an chance for the fans to see some of the younger players tomorrow night?

Yeah, hopefully. Alex Lowry is also in the squad who’s a big talent coming through the academy. I’m always happy to use the youth academy if possible and I think tomorrow is perfect. The only thing is we only have three subs so I have a squad of 20 I can pick but only three subs.

Maybe it’s good for the SFA to change the subs for the cup because in the league I know the situation we are in with Covid and many injuries so we changed the setup for league games. I can make five subs in the league but I can’t make five subs in the cup. I think the cup especially when I have more subs I can use more players and maybe give more youth players a chance. Maybe it’s good to look into the subs available to make during the cup games as well.

The fact you don’t know much about Stirling Albion and given coaching standards has increased has that presented some challenges for you?

No, we prepare the team as normal. We watched the games of Stirling Albion, the way they play, the systems they play so, for me, it’s no different. Maybe in the past you play against teams you don’t know, there’s no footage but we are well prepared. There are no uncertainties for tomorrow so we will know their setup, we will know their game plan, how they defend and attack set pieces. Of course, we have to respect them, they play in a lower league but in the cup, anything can happen so we have to make sure we are in the next round and I am full of confidence we will do that.

Do you think we should have a review of disciplinary sanctions and the referee grading because it seems many of them are promoted but few are demoted?

It’s the same for me as a coach with my players and I think it’s the same for refs. I think VAR will help them a lot as we’ve seen in other leagues to take the right decisions especially in the vital moments of the game. For a referee, they also have to review their own games and maybe see things they could’ve done better or mistakes they make.

We all make mistakes but in the end, you have that process to become a better referee. I don’t see anything wrong with that, that’s why I’m also reviewing my team and how we play. I review the decisions I make because, in the end, you have to learn from your mistakes and make sure you become a better coach, manager, player or referee so I don’t see anything negative about that, I only see a positive outcome.