Get rid of early-season blues at Ibrox, says Taylor

Aug 27 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

STUART Taylor this week told Hamilton’s misfiring stars to stand up and be counted when they clash with Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday.

Head coach ‘Stan’ insists that the players are competing for places as they would for any other match, but admitted that reputations also need to be rebuilt.

He said: “We won’t have to say too much to them ahead of Saturday’s game because they know themselves that they haven’t been good enough.

“Every single one of them has more to offer and they won’t lack motivation; they’re hurting and will want to prove something to themselves, to us and the supporters and we know they’re capable of so much better.

“But they’re always playing for places – we told them that before the games against Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and Ross County – it’s the same no matter who we’re against.

“There are a lot of new faces here, it’s a big squad, and they will all need to work hard to hold onto a Hamilton Accies jersey.”

Taylor admitted Tuesday’s dismal Co-operative Insurance Cup second-round defeat at Ross County simply wasn’t good enough and said: “It’s plain to see that we were well under-par across the board.

“There are points to prove after that, and places to play for, and everything us up for grabs.

“Grant Evans gets pass marks because he’s been played out of position and has done well, and has stood up to be counted, but everybody else is still to do that.

“We want that to start on Saturday.”

Meanwhile, boss Billy Reid tore a strip off his side after Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by Aberdeen, but said there’s no panic. He said: “It was hugely disappointing and the overall performance was probably one of the worst at home since I’ve been manager here.

“However, I’m not slating the players that have come in and I don’t want to be too hard on them because I’ve still got a belief in what we’re trying to do here.

“I know for a fact that when we get the players back who will give us our identity again then you’ll see a different complexion to Hamilton Accies.”

He added: “I thought some of them did OK; you’re never going to say you played well when you lose 3-0, and we didn’t start the game well, let’s be honest.

“We didn’t do enough and it was no surprise that we went a couple of goals down.

“It was a real eye-opener for a few people, but there’s no panic here.”

Reid admitted Hamilton have been hit hard by the absence of captain Alex Neil and James Gibson through long-term injury, on top of Brian Easton and James McCarthy’s departure to the Premiership.

He said: “We knew James McCarthy and Brian Easton would be difficult to replace – they’re Premiership players – but for the first game we were without Martin Canning, Mark McLaughlin and James McArthur through suspension, although Canzo was able to come back in on Saturday.

“We knew that was going to be the case, but what we didn’t see was Alex Neil and James Gibson being out long-term – that became a big, big problem.

“There’s no use complaining about that because we didn’t before the Aberdeen game, and there are positive aspects to be taken out of it, but we feel that we’re lacking firepower – although I thought Leon Knight looked sharp when he came on and will be a good addition if he gets his head down and works hard.”

Defender McLaughlin and vice-captain McArthur return from suspension for Saturday’s game at Ibrox.

Striker Richard Offiong this week signed a two-year deal at Coca-Cola League One side Carlisle United for a fee believed to have been £75,000, rising to £90,000 should the Cumbrians gain promotion to the Championship.

Accies, and all other clubs, have been given an extension on the current transfer window of 5pm on Tuesday, September 1, accommodating the Bank Holiday Monday.

Former Hamilton defender Brian Easton has been named in the 20-man Scotland Under-21 squad for their UEFA Euro U21 qualifier against Austria on Saturday.