Premiership: Vidmar keeping his options open

Rangers defender Tony Vidmar will wait until all the invitations have arrived on his doormat before deciding which party to attend in the summer.

The Australian international is out of contract in the summer and is due to hold talks about extending his stay at Ibrox.

But other clubs are also interested, with Middlesbrough having been keen earlier in the season, so the 31-year-old has decided not to rush any decision.

He said: ‘‘I’m looking at all my options at the moment and assessing what I want to do. Maybe I won’t make a decision now, maybe it will be towards the end of the season.

‘‘I have to do what is best for my career, for me to be playing football. That’s where it is at the moment.’’

For much of the season, it had appeared as though this would be his final campaign in a light blue shirt, with the player stating a preference to try his luck in the Premiership and the club regarding him as little more than a squad player.

But manager Alex McLeish has been using him regularly in a variety of positions recently, which prompted the offer of extension talks.

Vidmar admitted other clubs had already arranged similar rendezvous.

He said: ‘‘My agent is the one who has been doing that so I have left it to him. I have been concentrating on playing.

‘‘I will look at all the options and decide from there. There will be other options and I want to make sure I make the right decision. I don’t want to have any regrets.’’

One factor in Rangers’ favour, apart from the lure of European football next season, is that the player’s family are settled in Scotland.

Vidmar’s daughter Michaela was born in Scotland earlier in the season and there is no domestic pressure to uproot.

He said: ‘‘I have a five-month-old girl and my partner quite enjoys it here so that side of it has been quite good the five years I have been here. It’s a good city to be living in and the standard of living is very good.’’

Vidmar’s appearance in the 2-0 win over Hearts moved him up to eighth in the list of Rangers appearance makers this season.

Billy Dodds scored both goals and it had been the first time the veteran had found the net in the league all season.

Dodds had been completely ignored earlier in the season when Dick Advocaat was in charge and Vidmar recalled the fact that his career had been in a similar cul-de-sac.

He joked: ‘‘I was next door to him! I think throughout the whole season Doddsy has worked hard in training.

‘‘Some times he put extra sessions in. You know what you are going to get from him. You can expect the work-rate from him.’’

McLeish has been forced to make changes in recent weeks as injuries and suspension bit hard into the squad.

But Vidmar argued that the experience had been a pleasant one for the manager, who had seen good performances and results maintained.

He said: ‘‘At some stage of the season he has needed to bring in players who haven’t played, because of injuries or whatever. The spirit is very high and the players who hadn’t been involved will give a good performance.

‘‘Everybody is working hard at their own game.

‘‘A lot of players are playing for their places and you can only put 11 on the park so there are some players who are disappointed, which is normal.

‘‘But when there has been an opportunity to play I think everybody who has come in has done the job.

‘‘I think the gaffer can’t have any complaints from that.

‘‘Your performances speak for themselves and if you are playing well he will keep you in the team and that has been shown with the players who have been playing.’’

Advocaat had been perceived as an aloof character who appeared to treat many players as little more than hired hands, while McLeish has come over as a more communicative figure.

Vidmar said: ‘‘He has been very good. He is very approachable. You can talk with him individually and I think he quite likes that.

‘‘Players like to know where they are at and I think the gaffer is good at that.’’

Advocaat has disappeared ‘upstairs’ into a director of football role and contract negotiations are part of that remit.

That will mean Vidmar sitting down to talk with the manager who did not often pick him but Vidmar insisted that would not be a problem.

He said: ‘‘I got on well with the technical director or whatever he is called. I could approach him, no problems.’’