For much of last season Rangers wide-men David Templeton and Barrie McKay probably felt that their careers lay away from Ibrox.

Twenty year old McKay burst onto the scene in 2012 as an exciting teenager, who could have an explosive effect on the Gers first-team as they plotted their way out of Scotland’s lower tiers. He offered the Rangers fans hope that youth would have it’s day at Ibrox and that he’d be a stalwart for the ‘Light Blues’ for years to come.

He scored in the Glasgow clubs opening Third Division match against Peterhead. More was expected from the youngster and although he showed glimpses he couldn’t find top form. He was dropped/rested a fair bit and that seemed to stall his progress.

The next season saw Barrie spending the majority of the year on loan at Morton and then last term he was loaned to Scottish Championship rivals Raith Rovers.

When his initial loan deal with Raith was extended, McKay started doubting his future at Ibrox:

“I thought I’d have a chance of going back to Rangers but they didn’t want me, they wanted me to extend my loan instead.”

“That’s maybe a wee bit of a concern.”

His initial impact at Rangers was nearly forgotten about and few actually thought he’d get a proper chance again at the club.

But then boss Ally McCoist and his coaching team departed, interim gaffer Stuart McCall didn’t last long and Englishman Mark Warburton was hired as the new Rangers manager.

Warburton had proved at his last club (Brentford FC) that he liked working with small squads and placed an emphasis on attacking football. Also importantly for Barrie McKay, he’s big on giving youth a chance to shine in the first-team.

McKay has impressed his new boss enough to start in the sides opening two games of the season.

Warburton has said this about Barrie:

“He can be a success, absolutely. He’s a really young player, an academy graduate and he needs to be challenged.”

“Barrie’s done really well in training and anyone who does that and applies themselves will have a chance of making the first team. If they don’t then there’s no point in them being in the job.”

Against Peterhead in yesterday’s Scottish League Cup tie, Rangers made it two wins out of two for Warburton and his assistant David Weir with a 3-0 home victory.

The opening goal was a sign that players who had served under the last managerial regime would get a chance to shine, under Warburton, if they worked hard and earned their spot.

McKay would come in from the left and put in a low cross that was then steered across the line by opposite winger David Templeton.

The goalscorer Templeton, was another that seemed to flag under McCoist and was struggling to live up to the potential that many believed he had.

Injuries and inconsistent form have dogged the former Hearts man since his £700k switch back in 2012.

In his first season he scored a whopping fifteen league goals in just twenty-four outings in Scotland’s bottom tier. But instead of getting better with every step up in competition, Templeton struggled.

Last term in the Scottish Championship, he would only make thirteen league appearances.

The one dimensional, turgid style of play that had crept into the Gers approach under Ally McCoist certainly didn’t help. Although to openly criticise McCoist training methods was a big mistake from the winger, Ally will always be seen as a Gers legend.

Templeton’s inconsistent performances and constant niggles made him an easy target as Rangers supporters looked to vent their frustrations. Many thought the twenty-six year old was happy to pick up an easy pay cheque without earning it by putting on creative wing displays, much in the ilk of his namesake Davie Cooper.

Nothing gets to a fan more than a player that they know has skill and talent but can’t seem to turn it on when it counts; On the pitch! 

Many have struggled when the Ibrox support start demanding more… Charlie Adam really struggled with it! 

But under Warburton, David Templeton has been given another chance to thrive at Rangers. The team need fluidity and incisive play that will impress their demanding manager and the fans. That kind of mentality should be right up Templeton’s street!

David now needs to deliver more as each week passes this season and show that he can become that wing wizard that his talent promised back during his Hearts days.

Don’t get me wrong, neither player has turned the corner yet. Much like Rangers as a team, they’ve enjoyed a good start to the season but there is room for improvement. They both need to show that consistently they can kick on and start to dominate games and change outcomes when needed.

Both have the ability to do that and with Mark Warburton in charge they are both getting the chance to prove it too!

Posted on August 3rd, 2015 by scott
Filed under: Article