Declan John reveals Rangers regret as new St Mirren star wouldn't wish recent struggles on anyone
Declan John's stint at Ibrox didn’t last as long as he’d have liked. But the Welshman’s is relieved to hear St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson confirm he’s welcome to hang around in Paisley for a while yet.
The former Rangers defender spent two years in Glasgow after being signed by former Light Blues gaffer Pedro Caixinha in 2017. But he found himself shipped back home to Swansea after the arrival of Steven Gerrard. He’s now back in Scotland having joined Saints on a short-term contract last month.
And that deal with Robbo’s side is now set to be extended until the end of the season after positive talks with the Buddies board. That’s a major boost for a player who spent the first four months of the season training on his own after his release from Bolton over the summer. John - who is set to replace the suspended Scott Tanser when he makes his first Saints start against his former Ibrox employers today - said: “It's mad how football works.
“I enjoyed my time with Rangers. I wish I could’ve stayed a little bit longer. It's a great club.
“My timing at the club worked against me at the time. The manager changed over pretty quickly. Graeme Murty took over shortly after I signed. I think I did fairly well. Perhaps if I'd been there a little bit longer, things would have been different because I was building myself.
“It’s been tough lately for myself not having a club at the start of the season. I did have offers on the table in the summer, but ones that I just didn't really feel were right for me, my family.
“It then became a waiting game. But as soon as I had the phone call to come up here, it was an easy yes. As soon as I spoke to the manager, the choice was easy to come back up to the league.
“Boxing Day will be my first start since probably the end of March. But I've got the training in me. I feel quite fit. I've had a few appearances coming off the bench, so I’m not far away from full fitness.
“I wouldn’t wish what I went through on anybody. It’s easy to let it get to your head. I tried to keep myself as active as possible. I was training once or twice a day while waiting for that phone call to come.”
John, 29, admits at one brief stage he even feared he may have to hang up his boots “You do kind of think that at the back of your mind,” he said. “But it was just the question of just waiting for the right opportunity.
“I've got a young family now as well. So it's just the case of me just kind of finding somewhere where we're settled and we feel quite settled up here as well. So that's a bonus.”
Today will be Rangers’ 20th visit to the SMISA Stadium since it opened in 2009. The hosts have only managed two home wins over Gers since leaving Love Street - and Robinson admits that’s not enough.
He said: “We've pushed Rangers on numerous occasions without getting the signature result. You shouldn't beat Rangers or Celtic based on paper but football isn't played on paper and you get that opportunity to have a shock result.
“Our record here doesn't surprise me because good teams wear you down eventually. Both Rangers and Celtic bring on subs that are worth millions and millions of pounds and have the quality to break you down when you're tired.
“But we’ve been very, very close without finishing it off, so it's now an opportunity to get the result to match the performance.”
