Steven Smith insists the Rangers squad don't talk about the club's precarious financial situation.
Gers defender insists players don't talk about club's finances
Steven Smith insists the Rangers squad do not talk about the club's precarious financial situation and instead focus all their attention on playing football.
The Old Firm club are believed to be £30million in debt with some supporters fearing a mass exodus of players in January in a bid to raise much needed funds.
However Smith declared that none of the first-team should be worried about their whereabouts next month as none of them are playing well enough to attract interest in the first place.
The 24-year-old has struggled to hold down a regular first-team place this season with manager Walter Smith preferring Sasa Papac at left-back.
"The financial situation at the club has been highlighted, but, as players, we can't think about that," he said.
Not good enough
"When you're playing as poorly as we are, I don't think any of us will be good enough to move on if we don't start playing better football than what we're doing.
"The players don't speak about what's happening. The fans speak about it, they are worried about the club's future and stuff like that.
"But, as players, we've got to concentrate on playing football, that's what we are getting paid for. We need to turn up on Saturday and do more than we're doing at the moment."
Smith's contract expires at the end of the season and despite spending plenty of time on the substitutes bench this term, he admits that he wants to stay at Ibrox.
"Of course my first choice would be to stay here," he added. "I've grown up here and I've never been anywhere else so it's natural for me to be here.
"The biggest thing is playing football and I would rather be in this situation where I've got a chance of doing it rather than where I was two years ago with the injuries when I had no chance.
"I've worked hard to get to this point and I need to work a little bit harder to get in the team."
Raise morale
In a bid to raise team morale, following the 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen, boss Smith handed out the SPL winners' medals the players had yet to receive after last season's title win, at training on Wednesday.
"The manager handed out the medals this morning and I don't know if it was a reminder that we did win the league last year and that we worked hard to win it and all that good work goes to waste if we don't win it again," he stated.
"I don't know if the medals did just come this morning or if it was mind games by the manager. But it was nice reminder to everyone that we did win the league last year even though we were seven points behind, there are a lot of winners in that dressing room and that's why we are at the club."
