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RL
I think my time had run its course at Rangers, I had been there a while now, I am 22 and I am just looking to get playing football. So, when a League One club came in for me, especially the location of Carlisle, and I trained with them for a week before I decided to join, the standard was very good and hopefully I can do a job for them. So, I was delighted when they asked me to sign, I didn't think twice about it.
JP
Am I right in saying you are originally from Dumfries, did that have a bearing in the move?
RL
No, it didn't to be fair, my Mum and Dad are based in Dumfries now, I was born in Dumfries but I am not from Dumfries, so Dumfries doesn't really mean very much to me, I am from Stranraer myself. So, no, the fact that my Mum and Dad are from Dumfries didn't have any bearing on my decision.
JP
Will you be happily moving here then and settling in this neck of the woods?
RL
Yeah, I am based in Glasgow, I live in Glasgow so I will travel up and down when I need to but for the main part of the week I will be in Carlisle with the boys.
JP
When did you first get wind of the interest from Carlisle United then and how long did it take you to make your mind up?
RL
Well, it wasn't necessarily me that had to make my mind up, it was the manager (Greg Abbott) as well. We played them in our bounce game a couple of weeks ago up at Murray Park and I managed to score a couple of goals.
Then we got in contact, they asked me down for a week's training and I came down last week, so the manager pulled me in on Friday and told me that he was wanting to sign me. Which was great news for me but it wasn't necessarily my decision, it was as much his decision as it was mine.
JP
What sort of striker for fans who won't have seen too much of you would you describe yourself as?
RL
I can score goals, so hopefully I can notch a few goals. When I was on loan previously I was never played as a striker so I didn't score as many goals as I would have liked to. So, hopefully if I get played through the middle here I can notch a few goals. But, I would like to think I can play a part for the team as well. I work very hard, and hopefully I can create a few goals as well.
JP
At the moment Carlisle have got a number of players who all chip in together, but they have been crying out for someone who can really lead that line in terms of getting the goals for them. Do you think you could be that striker for them?
RL
I think I could be yeah, I hope I can be, but I have got more to my game than just scoring goals. I am sure I will notch a few but I am direct, I like to get at players, so hopefully I can just win the fans over and show them that I am a good player.
JP
Alan Martin, one of your Scotland under-21 team-mates, spoke very highly of you, he said you are very determined as well as one of the best finishers he has ever seen, is determination a key element for you?
RL
Aye, of course, I think when you play up top you have to work hard, you defend from the top, you close people down and that radiates right through the team. So, that is something that I do, I didn't realise that you had spoken to Alan but Alan is a good mate of mine and it is nice of him to say these things about me.
JP
You have mentioned that you trained for a week with Carlisle, and I think you have had a little bit with them since you have joined, what have you made of your team-mates then and the qualities they have got?
RL
I was very, very impressed with the standard of the training and all the rest of it. There are some very good players here so I will be biding my time maybe to get in the team. But, if my chance comes along hopefully I can take it.
JP
In terms of the squad at Rangers, what was it like growing up at a football club with some of the players that you got to work with there day in and day out?
RL
Rangers are a massive club and it is hard to break through as a youngster coming through the ranks. But, some of the players I have played with in my time there, it is a great experience and it has set me up well hopefully for my move here. It was a great experience there, it was a frustrating four years but still enjoyable all the same. Hopefully I can take all the experience I have gained there down here.
JP
Broader reflections then, you said it was frustrating there, how do you see your time at such a big club? It is a huge step for a youngster to go there isn't it?
RL
Yeah, it is, I went there when I was 18 and in my first year I played in the under-19s. I had a bad injury and I was out for a long time and I missed maybe the first six months to a year under (Walter) Smith when he rejoined after Paul Le Guen left. But, I always felt I was due more of a chance at Rangers, I felt I was doing well enough in the reserves to merit more of a chance.
I went on loan to St Mirren and a lot of things went on there, and it didn't go well for me and I didn't play there much. It was just as frustrating and just as unfair really, but I felt at Rangers I deserved more of a chance. I am disappointed I didn't get that but I am looking past that now, I am delighted to have joined Carlisle and I am looking forward to playing here.
JP
Do you feel you come here with just a little bit of something to prove then, just to show that they should have given you more of a chance?
RL
No, not at all, I think if you go with that attitude then you will always be thinking about the past. I am here to play for Carlisle and play for the manager and my team-mates and that is all that I am thinking about now, is doing well for Carlisle.
JP
What about the respective levels? Have you had a chance to see much of League One? Do you understand what sort of a level it is like compared to where you have been before?
RL
I watched the game on Saturday, apart from watching Netbusters on SKY I haven't seen much of League One. But, my good mate (Dean Furman) who I stayed with for a couple of years plays for Oldham who we played on Saturday does, so, I speak to him most weeks about his games and all the rest of it and he has spoken a lot about it. So, I know most of my League One knowledge through him.
JP
What does he say about it then? How would he rate it then perhaps to the SPL where you have been playing?
RL
He says it is a very, very competitive league, there are games all the time and obviously it is a very tight league as well. He says that with a couple of wins you are right up there and with a couple of defeats you are a wee bit worried. He says it is a great league to be in, he says it is very competitive, there are a lot of good players and you can only really get better from playing in this league.
JP
Who are your role models in football? Who is it that has helped you along the way and has got you to where you are now as a professional?
RL
When I was really young it was Brian Laudrup, I used to watch him when I was growing up, he was an unbelievable player. So, I have always looked up to him and thought that he was a great player.
As for current players, Kenny Miller, having watched him over the last couple of years I feel he is maybe a similar player to me in his movement and all the rest of it. I have got a lot to learn to reach his standard but I think I rate Kenny very highly, and watching him every day in training you pick up wee tips and stuff, so I would say those two.
JP
That could be exciting for the Carlisle fans because he scores for fun pretty much wherever he goes, he is in Turkey now?
RL
Well, maybe I have given myself a bit of a build-up there, what I said was that I was similar, I didn't say I was as good as him and I have got a lot to learn. But, Kenny is an unbelievable player and you can only learn off people like that.