CHARLIE ADAM still looks back on his time at Rangers with a sense of frustration and wishes he had played more for the club.

 

But the midfielder also reveals that a continued determination to prove his doubters wrong has helped motivate him during his six years in English football.

Adam left Ibrox for Blackpool in January, 2009, initially on loan, and has never looked back since.

After two-and-a-half years with the seaside club, he earned a dream £7m move to Liverpool before moving on to Stoke in the summer of 2012.

Now an established figure in the Barclays Premier League - and a near stick-on for goal of the season following his wonder strike from his own half against Chelsea - Adam reflects on his time at Rangers and wonders why he didn't feature more often in light blue.

As a young player under Alex McLeish he was farmed out twice on loan, first to Ross County and then to St Mirren, while his appearances under Walter Smith were also sporadic, the midfielder rotating in and out of favour, unable to hold down a spot in the side.

Only under Paul Le Guen did Adam enjoy a consistent run of games before the Frenchman was sacked after just six months in charge.

Sensing there would also be no long-term future for himself at Ibrox, Adam chose to move to Championship side Blackpool for a fresh challenge.

He did so with warnings ringing in his ears that he was taking a step backwards by leaving Rangers, but the player told SportTimes he has been fired up ever since to demonstrate that there is life after Ibrox.

He said: "I think the success I've had in England has proved a few people in Scotland wrong, those who thought maybe I couldn't cut it down here.

"Even some people at Rangers at the time thought that leaving was always going to be a step back. Well, maybe I took a step back, but then I took two steps forward.

"The Blackpool thing changed my whole life really the way it happened. I played regularly there and then went to Liverpool which was amazing.

"It was one of these things that I never thought could happen to me. I was there for a year and it was an amazing time. And now I'm at Stoke and enjoying it, too.

"I'd loved to have played more at Rangers as it was a great club. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, though, that it never worked out as I got to play in the Premier League.

"Part of my motivation to do well in England was to show I could do it. Everybody doubts you.

"Even now there are people who doubt me even though I've played 150-odd games in the Premier League. People still think, 'nah, he's not good enough for that level'.

"But you just ignore that and keep producing performances, keep proving them wrong. I'm playing in the most exciting league in the world and when the time comes to retire I can look back over a good career."

Adam admits it was the stop-start nature of his time at Rangers that was hardest to deal with.

He added: "It was hard for me to establish myself in the Rangers team. It was a difficult time, although I still managed to play around 80 games.

"I enjoyed it there, and there were good people, but I just felt frustrated not playing, or featuring in some games and not others. I wouldn't play for six or seven weeks then would be thrown in to a Celtic game or Aberdeen away.

"I wouldn't say I was fed up, but I was frustrated as I wanted to play. The players in front of me at the time were who the manager wanted to pick. I never really played in my own position there and I've always said that.

"But Rangers proved to be a stepping stone to where I am now. Leaving was difficult as it was the club I started my career with.

"I learned a lot there. I made mistakes there, but I took them on board and hopefully became a better player as a result of it."

And Adam has praise for the much-maligned Le Guen. Much was expected from the former Lyon boss when he arrived in Scotland in the summer of 2006, but he failed to win over the dressing room and ended up leaving again early in the new year.

Adam, though, still has respect for the Frenchman and what he tried to do. He added: "He was the one that gave me a proper chance. He had confidence in me to play.

"I knew that if I played enough games I would show I was good enough to merit my place.

"If you're going to play at Rangers or Celtic you have to be a big character. You need to be able to take the flak and I did that.

"Paul Le Guen gave me a chance and he was great for me. I enjoyed everything that he did. He was hard, but he was fair. That was the most I played at Rangers and it was a great time for me."