It has been a season of no medals, some positives and many lessons for Connor Barron. He has plenty to take away from the experience and much to look back on and look forward to.
The midfielder has made 45 appearances across all competitions in his debut campaign as a Rangers player. He has endured League Cup heartache and Scottish Cup embarrassment. The Premiership bid never got going and the Europa League dream ended prematurely.
The final 90 minutes against Hibernian this weekend will end what has been a term of tumult, both on and off the park. Supporters will be glad to see the back of it. If the Ibrox squad are honest, they will be as well.
Read more:
-
'If they need me, I’ll be there' - Dessers on Rangers future ahead of summer window
-
Dessers at the double as Ferguson bows out at Ibrox with Rangers victory
Barron has much to ponder over the summer as he prepares for his second shot at silverware. He will do so under the guidance of a third manager following the sacking of Philippe Clement and the end of Barry Ferguson’s spell in interim charge.
The new season will bring fresh opportunities for many. Barron seems set to be part of the plans under the next boss and believes the trials and tribulations of recent months will stand him in good stead for whatever life at Rangers can throw at him next.
“Yeah, obviously looking at it from a personal point of view, I've been really excited with my first season,” Barron said. “I think to play as much games as I have and to do what I have done, I've been quite happy with it.
“But it's one that, looking forward, I want to go and do better next season. That's just how I am. I'm hungry for more and we'll go away after the game against Hibs and work on my game to get better again.
“No [I have never regretted the move]. Not at all. You learn from them. As a player at my age as well, it's good to take everything in.
“Obviously it's disappointing to not be as successful as I would have liked to have been in my first season and have a few trophies. But you learn a lot and you carry that with you and that's what I've done.
“I pick up a lot as a player every day in training and the standards are a lot higher than what they were in the previous club. So that's one just for example, but there's so many things and it's good as well to have that and to learn.
“I'm not sure [if it has been more intense than I expected]. I get myself in there and I do what I need to do daily and help my team. That's just the way I am as a person and I've just tried to improve as much as I can this season.”
Rangers bowed out at Ibrox with a win on Wednesday night as Ferguson saw his side come from behind to beat Dundee United. It was a low-key affair and an evening of farewells.
Ferguson spoke of the emotion he felt when the home crowd chanted his name in the closing stages. It was recognition of the esteem in which he is held and the thanks that he is owed for stepping in during difficult times. That respect emanates from the dressing room too.
“Yeah, Barry's been great with us,” Barron said. “The gaffer, Neil, Doddsy, they've all been brilliant and I've just been like a sponge taking everything in and learning as much as possible. As I say, I don't know what's going to happen and we've just got to go and wait and see.
“[He has helped me] a lot, yeah. All three of them have. They've all been great. Individual sessions after training, little bits after games here and there. As I say, I've just been a sponge taking it all in and it's been great working with them so far.”
Within a matter of weeks, Barron and his teammates will discover who will be in charge when the squad return to action next month. The Champions League qualifiers are already looming on the horizon for Rangers.
This squad and this team have not been good enough over the course and distance. The positives have been few and far between but do offer some hope given that they have come in the Europa League and Old Firm encounters.
A win at Easter Road would not be a statement of intent by any means. It is, naturally, the ambition for Ferguson and his players. The focus will then shift to those who will be here next season and the challenges that await Rangers.
“Yeah, it’s very important,” Barron said when asked about the need to finish on a winning note. “When the split happened we set ourselves a target and we haven’t quite reached that.
"We wanted to win them all. We have got a big one on Saturday to go and we need to get three points again.
“Yeah, definitely [we have shown what we can do at times]. In the last year we have shown that. Nice passages of play again in the game on Wednesday night.
"It is good to see. It is just unfortunate it is happening now and it hasn’t clicked at the start of the season. We have got a big one against Hibs at the weekend and that is the focus now.
“Very excited [about the summer]. We are in the unknown right now. As a player, you go away and work hard on your game and you keep yourself fit to go back firing in pre-season. Wait and see what is to happen.
“It means everything to play for this club. That is the way it should be.”
The end of the campaign will represent the end of an era at Ibrox. Every summer is a significant one for Rangers but this close season carries an extra importance given the changes that will take place in the boardroom as well as the dressing room.
Read more:
-
How Barry Ferguson's 'wee chat' at half-time sparked Rangers' victory over Dundee Utd
-
'I've been hard on myself a lot of times' - Diomande reflects on Rangers' failed term
The takeover deal to herald in regime change will be completed in a matter of weeks. This will be a period of comment and conjecture before the concrete plans are put in place. It will be one that will shape where Rangers are heading for the foreseeable future.
“To be honest, I don’t see or hear anything about it on social media,” Barron said. “I hear the talk about it being at the club and what will be will be. It's nothing to do with me. I just concentrate on my football and wait and see what's going to happen and we go from there.
“That’s football. That's what happens. I've been in the game a while and I went through lots of managers at Aberdeen in my time. You've just got to do what you can as a player and be the best every day and what will happen will happen. But you've got to put yourself in the best possible situation every day in training.
“Yeah [I will work hard over the summer]. Definitely. That should be a given anyway as a football player. That's what you've got to do. It's your job at the end of the day and as I say, we'll wait and see what happens.”
Share