OPINION
Rangers must tie Andy Halliday down to a new contract.
The 27-year-old is a boyhood Bear who bleeds red, white and blue and is nailing down a regular starting place in the unfamiliar position of left-back.
Many expected him to be binned as part of the mass squad overhaul this summer after spending the first half of last season out on loan in Azerbaijan.
But Halliday survived the cull and is now thriving under Steven Gerrard after bouncing back from some terrible lows in a Rangers jersey that appeared to have sounded the death knell for his career at the club.
He has played the full 90 minutes in each of the last four league matches, including Sunday’s demolition of Motherwell, and has accumulated 17 appearances in all competitions this season.
It is a measure of Halliday’s growing influence that the team looks better balanced with him driving them forward from left-back than with natural full-backs Borna Barisic and Jon Flanagan in that position.
He is becoming more than just a useful squad man. He is establishing himself as a first choice.
“I love Andy Halliday,” Gerrard said recently, as quoted by the Scottish Sun. “When I came in there was a list of players. Some had ticks, some had question marks and some had crosses.
“Andy has just been perfect since day one. His performances are getting stronger and stronger. He’s almost like a captain in the dressing room. In fact, he is the unofficial captain of this club. He glues everything together.”
The fact Gerrard appreciates Halliday so much is telling.
With his contract due to expire in 18 months, Rangers must show their appreciation of his value by tying him to a contract extension.