It’s getting difficult for me to defend Gers stars after they’ve thrown away their title advantage.
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My Rangers prediction went horribly wrong and I just don’t know if I can defend them any more – Barry Ferguson
It’s getting difficult for me to defend Gers stars after they’ve thrown away their title advantage.
No one enjoys having to admit when they’ve got it wrong. So what I’m about to write won’t be easy.
But a couple of weeks ago I didn’t just make a mistake in this column - I ignored all my instincts and threw caution to the wind when I predicted Rangers would go into the post split fixtures five points clear at the top of the table and on their way to the title.
In my own defence, I did add that football does have a habit of biting you on the bum if you start taking anything for granted. So now here I am, with teeth marks all over my backside, trying to work out what the hell has just happened over the course of the last fortnight. And the truth of the matter is it’s getting very difficult for me to try to defend the indefensible where my old club’s recent results and performances are concerned.
Let’s just say I was almost lost for words on Wednesday when I watched them lose another two precious points in Dundee and it left me feeling so down that I struggled to get a decent night’s sleep. But, after a lot of tossing and turning, I woke up yesterday morning and gave myself a shake because, for as long as it’s still possible for Rangers to win this league, then supporters like myself have a responsibility to back the team through difficult moments such as these.
There’s no point drooping your shoulders and allowing your bottom lip to drag along the ground. Not when there’s a Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts around the corner and the chance to get the whole season back on track. And that’s the message I’d be hammering home to these players if I was inside the training ground over the next 48 hours.
But, like the fans who made the journey to Dens Park the other night and who vented their anger on the final whistle, I must admit that even my own patience is starting to wear a bit thin. I’d imagine Philippe Clement will be feeling much the same way. Because, having worked so hard for so long to drag themselves back into the thick of a title fight, Rangers are now in danger of allowing the season to slip through their fingers. And that’s simply not good enough.
It also raises a lot of unwanted questions about the mentality of some of these guys and about the strength of their character and desire. Every man and his dog have had something to say about it over the last 48 hours. Are they prepared to go that extra mile and fight and scratch for the badge on their chest? Or do they not really have the stomach for it?
I personally didn’t have any doubts about it but, yes, the way they have performed over the last couple of weeks has left me scratching my head and wondering if some of these guys truly understand how privileged they are to be pulling on that shirt. Or if they’re not really all that bothered.
The good news is we’ll soon find out because there will be absolutely no hiding place for any of them over the remaining weeks of the campaign. We’re all about to see in front of our own eyes how much - or how little - it means to them. The first 45 minutes against Celtic can be dismissed as a bit of a freak. As I learned myself, strange things can happen on Old Firm day. That they dug deep and clawed their way back to earn a 3-3 draw from the derby restored a sense of confidence.
But to follow that up with the kind of lacklustre performances they’ve produced at Ross County and Dundee? At such a monumentally important stage in the season? I honestly can’t get my head around it. The only positive thing I can say in their favour is that their destiny is still in their own hands. They still have the chance to show that they do deserve to be champions. But, instead of making it easy for themselves, they’re going to have to do it the most difficult way imaginable.
Not only will they have to beat Celtic at Parkhead on May 11 but they’re also going to have to score more goals than them and maybe hope for someone else to do them a turn or two along the way. And that’s a horrible position for them to find themselves in when they should have been in a commanding position going into the final stretch.
Having been in this situation myself on a couple of occasions I know the stress levels involved in trying to win a title which might come down to goal difference on the final day. We managed it in 2003 when we beat Dunfermline 6-1 on the last day of the season when Celtic could only score four away at Kilmarnock.
