Rangers’ biggest problem from last night wasn’t the fact they didn’t have enough goalscorers – it was the lack of a reaction.
Steven Gerrard made headlines over the last few days for consistently calling out his side. He was in no mood to mess after being knocked out of the Betfred Cup against Aberdeen.
No wonder either. The performance on the day at Hampden Park was nothing less than a disgrace. Far too many Rangers players couldn’t look themselves in the mirror and said they did their best.
Therefore, the Rangers manager laid down an ultimatum. Show me you can perform starting last night and I won’t have to replace you with someone else.
It was a fearful a message as a manager can deliver to his players. It should’ve been the motivational tool that this Rangers squad needed to turn things around. It wasn’t.
Rangers put in a lackluster performance against Killie, and had far too little creativity in their side once more. That’s now been three matches in a row in which the Gers have struggled to have any inspiration in the final third.
Not the usual high standard
The likes of Ryan Kent, Daniel Candeias, and Scott Arfield failed to perform to their usual high standard. With places in the side now under threat after the manager’s stern words post-Aberdeen, you would’ve expected more of a reaction.
If Gerrard can’t get a tune out of his side when he puts their positions under threat, then what else can he say to get them fired up? Gerrard seemed to use every opportunity to let his side know they needed to improve. There’s no doubt that he also would’ve hammered this home privately.
Against Kilmarnock, there was no enthusiasm, no passion, and worryingly for Rangers – no reaction.
Gerrard has since reiterated what he said after the Betfred Cup clash. He stated that Rangers need to improve and that his players need to start performing or their places will be under threat.
It appears that the Gers manager is taking the option of trying the same approach once more. Hopefully for Rangers fans, he can finally get a song out of them on Saturday at St Mirren.
