Smith credits cup runs

Smith: Praises cup runs

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Walter Smith has expressed his delight at Rangers reaching their fifth successive cup final after beating St Johnstone in midweek.

Along with assuming a commanding 10-point lead over arch-rivals Celtic in SPL they have now set up a Co-operative Insurance Cup final showdown with St Mirren.

Gers secured a 2-0 success over St Johnstone and Smith believes it is a true testament of his side's consistency to maintain their lengthy unbeaten cup run.

Rangers have impressively reached every domestic cup final since Smith's return to he helm back in January 2007, consistency he believes should not be overlooked.

Smith acknowledges his current crop of stars might not be as glamorous as their predecessors, but they have shown the level of desire and determination to succeed.

Consistency

"Cup ties are not easy to gain consistency in, although I must say since I came back to the club that we've done remarkably well in that respect," explained Smith.

"We've managed to keep reaching the finals of tournaments we've been playing in and that has been a terrific achievement by the players.

"It's not an easy thing to do because every team can have really good days and really bad ones. If you're caught on a bad day, your opportunities can be limited.

"We've had a great run over the last couple of years or so and our players have reacted well so they don't need to be told to keep things going.

"It's a credit to our players that they've got such a good record in the cups. They might not have the glamour of some former Rangers teams but they work very hard.

"We're a difficult team to play against and our players have handled themselves well but now they must keep that going again."

Dream over

Meanwhile, young midfielder Paul Emslie admits his Rangers career is over after joining Peterhead on loan last month.

The 21-year-old's Ibrox deal expires at the end of the season and he believes the decision to scrap reserve-team football has cost him dear.

"Having no reserve football has been a bit of a disaster for players my age at Rangers," said Emslie.

"For maybe 10 of us the best we could really hope for is a game every three weeks, which just isn't enough.

"The Rangers dream is probably over for me. I am 22 next month and want to try and get fixed up with another club.

"I feel I am good enough to play in the SPL, but I just need a chance to prove myself."