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Steven Davis declared himself \u201cvery honoured\u201d after getting a call \u201cout of the blue\u201d to take charge of Rangers on an interim basis following the sacking of Michael Beale.<\/p>\n
The 38-year-old Northern Irishman, who had two fruitful spells as a player at Ibrox, was invited by the Gers board on Sunday evening to take the reins until they appoint a new permanent boss.<\/p>\n
Davis will be assisted by fellow former Rangers players Alex Rae and Steven Smith, as well as coach Brian Gilmour and goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very honoured,\u201d he told Rangers TV on Monday. \u201cThe call came out of the blue a little bit. I wasn\u2019t expecting it but I\u2019d just like to try and repay the trust the club have shown by putting me in this position.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously it\u2019s not a position we would like to be in, we\u2019re disappointed with where we\u2019re at at this moment in time but I\u2019m really looking forward to the challenge.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m delighted to get the opportunity. I believe in the group we\u2019ve got. Things haven\u2019t gone the way we would have liked and we find ourselves in this situation but I\u2019m sure with ourselves and the fans pushing in the same direction we can go on and get some good results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beale paid the price for a dismal start to the season, with Rangers third in the cinch Premiership \u2013 behind St Mirren \u2013 and seven points adrift of city rivals Celtic after three defeats in seven league matches.<\/p>\n
In addition, they suffered a 7-3 aggregate defeat by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League play-off round in August, with a raft of summer signings having failed to shine so far.<\/p>\n
Davis and the rest of the interim coaching staff must rouse the team following Saturday\u2019s humiliating 3-1 defeat at home to Aberdeen as they prepare to head to Cyprus to face Aris Limassol in the Europa League on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Rangers\u2019 next league match is away to second-placed St Mirren on Sunday before the international break brings a fortnight in which they can try to regroup and bed in a new manager.<\/p>\n
The call came out of the blue a little bit. I wasn’t expecting it but I’d just like to try and repay the trust the club have shown.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately we have to get results first and foremost at a club like Rangers,\u201d said Davis. \u201cI just want to try and get some pride back in terms of the way we play and try and get the boys\u2019 confidence back as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a really good group here. I see the level of application here, I\u2019ve been in and around it long enough with the majority of them, so I just want to get that belief back in the team and give them a platform to go and show their best performances.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis is unlikely to be considered for the role on a permanent basis, with Kevin Muscat, Chris Wilder and Frank Lampard among those having been linked with the vacancy in the aftermath of Beale\u2019s exit.<\/p>\n
However, the Northern Irishman intends to use his spell in charge as a learning curve.<\/p>\n
\u201cManagement was something I\u2019ve considered for further down the line,\u201d he said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting this opportunity, it hadn\u2019t crossed my mind, but it was an opportunity I couldn\u2019t turn down.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a great experience for me and I\u2019m really looking forward to the challenge. Everybody knows what the club means to me. My approach is just going to be the same as I was as a player, and that\u2019s just to give it my best. Hopefully that will be good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beale wished Rangers well for the future as he issued a social media post within hours of his sacking backing the Ibrox club to get back on track.<\/p>\n
The 43-year-old took to Instagram in the early hours of Monday morning to wish Davis all the best.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you @RangersFC to everyone behind the scenes at the training ground and Ibrox, to the board, staff, fans and all the players,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI will always follow and support the club from afar and wish you every success.<\/p>\n
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\u201cNow is the time for everyone to unite fully behind Steven Davis and the team in the coming games.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is still so much to play for this season and I have a strong belief in this group of players. Thank you and good luck.\u201d<\/p>\n