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There are many young teenagers from the Republic of Ireland plying their trade at football clubs in the United Kingdom, hoping someday to become profe sional footballers and maybe one day play in the Premiership. There are many exceptional young players from Ireland in England and Scotland. Eric Grimes with Leeds United, Sam Byrne at Manchester United and Gareth McDonagh, winner of Footballs Next Star, and is now at a star at Glasgow Celtic. But there is a very special player working his way up the ranks at a major club in Scotland. This lad, like Grimes, is Corey Seager Jersey a goalkeeper but there is something very unique about this budding young player. He plays with Glasgow Rangers.Only four other players from the Republic of Ireland have been on the books at Glasgow Rangers. Alex Stevenson made 12 appearances for the club and later managed the Republic of Ireland. Alex Craig made 144 appearances of the club in the early twentieth century and also played for Ireland in 1908. James McAuley was on the books at Rangers in the first decade of the 1900s. The other player was Reuben Evans but not a lot is actually known about him. So as you can see Rangers and Irish players dont really have a history. So what made this player join Rangers, a club not liked by most Irish people?In an interview he says as a kid Chris Taylor Jersey growing up in Cobh, he remembers feeling no great affinity to either half of Glasgows football divide, nor detected it among his friends or cla smates. For a time he danced to a Liverpool beat until Chelsea stole his heart before the Abramovich era, he insists because he liked their blue jerseys. Sometimes on his FIFA PlayStation he would pick Rangers as his team. They wore blue jerseys too.He had trials for Nottingham Forrest, Aston Villa and Derby in his youth He also visited Hull, Blackburn, Aberdeen and Celtic. A move to Manchester United was also on the cards at one stage. He first encountered Rangers when he was playing for Crumlin United in the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland. He first heard from Rangers in June 2009, when Paul Hamilton, their Dublin scout at the time, approached him after a game for Crumlin. The following March he went over on trial and was instantly charmed. They met him and his parents at the airport and brought them to their hotel. The food in the adjoining restaurant was excellent and subsidised. In the mornings they would collect him and take him to Murray Park Mike Piazza Jersey where the facilities were like nothing hed ever seen.They convinced him too that they werent pampering him because he was from the south of Ireland, or that he was unique in some fashion and required special treatment. Nothing would have driven him from the place more quickly. That was merely how they operated, he sensed, a taste of the profe sionalism that seemed to run through the club at every level.They were upfront with me and looked after everything. Id been to one or two clubs I wont name them where it was like just be here or go there. You had to look after yourself and, when youre that age, it can be a bit difficult. Here there were no problems. The people made me feel at home. Theyre Scottish anyway so theyre very similar to the Irish. Thats the reason I came here.In a way he wasnt taken aback by their interest. He knew that Alan Maybury had been on trial a few years before. And that Phil Cowan, the Rangers scout in Belfast, had brought four Crumlin players north to play in a tournament the year before he signed. This year he has met players from two Dublin clubs over on trial but cant say if any of them have signed. Rhys Murphy spent Joc Pederson Jersey a week at the club last month but opted to stay at Arsenal.Smith knew he wanted to be a Rangers player on his third visit to Murray Park. There was talk of an offer from Manchester United then but it failed to turn his head. The way I saw it Id more of a chance here than at United, he says. Theyve what, Babe Herman Jersey three keepers at under 19, another three in the reserves and probably four in the first team squad. Competition is good but you dont want too much of it.So he moved from Springfield Ramblers to Rangers, a giant leap. He has played for Ireland at underage level and was recently called up to the Irish U-21 set up. As an Irish supporter I wish him well and hope he is a po sible future Irish no.1. I wish him luck in guiding Rangers back to the Scottish Premier Division. But as a Celtic supporter I hope a move to the hoops is on the cards.