Rangers changed my mentality towards football - but it led me to fall out with teammates

Josh Windass believes his ill-fated spell at Wigan Athletic was caused by a dramatic shift in his footballing mentality after playing for Rangers.

The Sheffield Wednesday attacker was thrown in at the deep end during his time at Ibrox with his first start coming in a 5-1 Old Firm hammering to rivals Celtic. He quickly learned about the club’s lofty expectations, both within the dressing room and from the stands.

The 30-year-old would spend two seasons in Govan before returning south of the border to join the Latics, but the move quickly turned sour and he was sent out on loan to Hillsborough in January 2020 before later making the switch permanent that summer.

The creative midfielder has revealed he’s not in football to make friends and remains unapologetic about the mindset he carried over from his days at Rangers, which caused friction with his team-mates at Wigan.

Speaking in an interview with SportsBoom.com, Windass admitted: “Rangers changed my mentality fully. Looking back when I went to Wigan after Rangers it was my wrong. I took that mentality to that place and I think it was wrong of me. Clubs expectations are different and that’s where I fell short during my time at Wigan. I had a Rangers mentality for a different club.

“When I went to Rangers it really changed my outlook on football and training. You’ve got to be at your best every single day. That came from the players that I was watching everyday who had that same mindset. If you didn’t have that you would have been the odd one out.

“I don’t go into any football team I’m in to make friends. Myself, my teammates, I want everyone to be the best they can be every single day to win for the team. Sometimes that can spill over and you can fall out with teammates and fall out with players. The intention is for everyone to be at their best and to win.”