Rangers star John Lundstram has claimed that injury was not to blame for his abject performance in the League Cup Final defeat to Celtic.
What’s more, the Ibrox midfielder claims that the gap is not as big as it appeared at Hampden over the weekend as this Rangers team suffered yet another humiliation at the hands of their rivals.
It is a worrying claim given that John Lundstram was so horrifically poor against Celtic and the response has raised a few eyebrows with Rangers fans sick and tired of seeing nothing but hot air coming out of the mouths of their players.
This comes with John Lundstram a fitness doubt heading into the League Cup Final v Celtic and the player putting in a lacklustre, uncommitted showing in the middle of the park in the 2-1 defeat.
“No, no, of course not [I didn’t gamble on my fitness],” said Lundstram [Rangers].
“No, definitely not.
“Just disappointing that I wasn’t involved in the game as much as I’d like to be. For one reason or the other, we were just a yard off it here and there every time we were getting up to the ball.
“We couldn’t seem to get close enough as we wanted to. Of course, that wasn’t the game plan going into the game.
“We were wanting to get up in the faces, but the way the game panned out I just couldn’t quite get as close as I really wanted to.
“Every time I was getting up to the ball I was just never close enough. In terms of on the ball, first half, I just didn’t have a chance to get on the ball as much as I’d like.
“Second half I was growing into the game and then the gaffer’s made the decision to change the three to get to try and get another goal.
“So yeah, disappointed with the whole result and of course first and foremost, I always look at my own performance.”
John Lundstram defends Rangers team amid calls for post-Celtic cull
Rangers fans have begun to call for major changes at the club after yet another abject showing against our Old Firm rivals by a squad of players who are struggling to convince them they deserve another chance.
But John Lundstram insists the gap between Rangers and Celtic is not a chasm as he defended the team’s season in the wake of a Premiership collapse and the threat of yet another Parkhead treble.
“It’s just one game, we didn’t turn up and they turned up,” said Lundstram.
“I think the combination as I just said, didn’t complement each other well. We didn’t turn up, they turned up so it looks like there’s a massive gap.
“It looked like that on the weekend, but in my personal opinion, I don’t think it is massive.
“Of course, we spoke but we keep that internal. We’re just as not happy as the fans are, we’re fans and players at the same time, so it’s tough for us as well.
“All we can do now is try and repay the fans and try and go on a run as we have been.”
It’s not exactly the sort of soundbites that will pacify an angry Rangers support and there is scrutiny on the likes of John Lundstram to deliver like never before.
Soundbites about the League are deluded tosh and the Rangers team can mouth off about it but they fluffed their lines in that regard months ago. It was nothing short of disgraceful.
Couple that with the shocking League Cup Final display and so many futures are already hanging by a thread. Anything but a Scottish Cup victory should see John Lundstram and co given their jotters.
They are all talk, no action, and if John Lundstram wants to rescue his reputation he can try to lift some silverware above his head.
Meanwhile, a Jorg Albertz update has HSV mentioning Rangers.
