Rangers' defeat left me so raging I aimed flip flop at my new telly but where was the players' anger? - Barry Ferguson

BlueMeanie

Well-Known Member
Let's not beat about the bush. Steven Gerrard is about to come under some serious pressure for the first time since moving to Ibrox.

Don’t get me wrong, not for one minute do I think his position as manager should be under threat despite the run that has left him trailing Celtic by 10 points.

There have been more than enough clear signs of improvement over the last 18 months to ensure his role in the job is not even up for debate. So don’t expect me to join in with any ridiculous discussions about whether he’s the man for the job or not. There’s no doubt in my mind he is.

But he has reached a crucial point in his career as a young Rangers manager. And after the way his team collapsed at Kilmarnock he needs to think very carefully about where he goes from here. And who comes with him.

First and foremost he needs to look around that dressing and work out who is really hurting right now. And, more importantly, who is not hurting anywhere near enough.

I’ll be honest. I got a new TV for my birthday and there were moments the other night when I was so angry I thought I was going to rip it off the wall.


At one point I had to stop myself from throwing one of my flip flops through the screen. I just wanted to be out there at Rugby Park helping to do something about it before it was too late.

I let my emotions get the better of me and at my age I should know better. But when you know how much it means to play for Rangers and to win trophies for the club, that fire never burns itself out.

That’s why I worry about the mentality of some of the players in Gerrard’s team right now. I watched too many of them go down the other night without being prepared to put up a fight. Where was the anger?

Where was the drive and determination to dig themselves out of a hole after Killie made it 1-1? Where was the refusal to take no for an answer?

Looking in from the outside, it’s almost as if some of them think it’s OK to lose games while wearing a Rangers shirt and if that really is the case they are at the wrong club. It should hurt like hell.

Most importantly, I could see that same pain written all over Gerrard’s face. I could tell just by looking at him he is not prepared to accept what these players have been giving him since they returned from the winter break.

I could see a man who was ready to give out some harsh words and make some big decisions. Gerrard does not strike me as the kind of guy who would be scared of doing whatever is required if he feels others are not respecting the standards he has set for them.

That’s why I’d be a worried man if I was one of those players. I’d have listened to his post-match interview and been terrified he was talking about me when he said there may be players in there who are not as strong as he thought. I’d be bursting my balls to get back out there and prove to him I deserve to wear that jersey. I’d want to show him how much it means to me and how badly I care.

That’s the minimum these guys will have to come up with between now and the end of the season if they are to prove they deserve to be a part of his plans going forward. If he can’t stop nine in a row then he certainly can’t afford any
passengers for
the following campaign when 10 will be on the line.



That’s not to say I’m throwing in the towel on this year’s title. Yes, I accept it’s going to be difficult for Rangers to come back from here but let’s not forget they have a game in hand and two Old Firm derbies left. That’s nine points to play for right there.

These players can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves because they’re getting a bit of stick or down tools because they think it’s beyond them.

They deserve every bit of criticism they’re getting. They have to be man enough to take it on the chin and respond to it. They have to show they are worthy of that shirt.

And the only way to do that is to work harder than ever on the training ground and win more games on the football pitch. They have to show the manager and fans they are capable of going on a long run of wins between now and the end of the season.


If that’s not enough to stop Celtic? If they are then accused of doing too little too late? Well, they’ll just have to suck all that up too because it’s part and parcel of being at a club like Rangers. Second best will never be acceptable to anyone who cares about that club.

Now is not the time for them to hide behind their manager or disappear into their shells. If their shoulders aren’t broad enough for the jersey they have no place here at all.

That’s the weeding-out process Gerrard has to begin.

Yes he’s a young manager and he’s going to make his own mistakes along the way but the bottom line is too many of these players have let him down too many times.

He is the right man for Rangers and is moving the club in the right direction. He’s not throwing his players under a bus when he points out where they’re going wrong, he’s being brutally honest with them and treating them like grown-ups.

It’s up to them now to prove they’re man enough for the job.
 
Totally agree, at the end of the game the other night the players shit themselves other than Andy Halliday to come near the fans, they bolted right up the tunnel embarrassed with themselves. They need to come out fighting now and start winning 2nd balls and get the crowd behind them
 
I hope that article is pinned up in the dressing room for all the players to see.
 
Barry is a bit of a pain with some of his comments at times - but this is spot on. Should be compulsory reading for the entire squad and management team.
 
You see Tav in the interview after the game and he looks like someones died. Cue training two days later and it'll be all smiles and laughter.

n.b. Not singling out Tav but he was the player that done the interview.
 
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We have two sorts of players mainly:

Academy graduates: generally spoiled, hyped and extremely averse to cold weather or hard tackles. Can be homesick, or go missing, and best chronically inconsistent.
Journeymen: could be good, bad or indifferent BUT crucially never been anywhere where winning was the expectation. These guys simply have no frame of reference for this club and its unique demands.
 
Not saying it should have been Barry, but there was definitely a place for a former player in SG’s staff.

You have to wonder if the current guys really understand what we are up against in Scotland.

Every single team despises us and will always go the extra yard to beat us. Maybe the current staff, not used to the hate filled environment of Scotland, don’t get that?

Sure they get the hatred that the mentally challengeds have for us and they manage to motivate the players accordingly but what about the other clubs?

A Kevin Thomson, a Neil McCann or even a Barry Ferguson would leave the players in no doubt that they face hate filled mentally challengeds every single week not just when we go to the scum hut.
 
Totally agree, at the end of the game the other night the players shit themselves other than Andy Halliday to come near the fans, they bolted right up the tunnel embarrassed with themselves. They need to come out fighting now and start winning 2nd balls and get the crowd behind them
Goldson did too. But that doesn’t suit the agenda.
 
Totally agree, at the end of the game the other night the players shit themselves other than Andy Halliday to come near the fans, they bolted right up the tunnel embarrassed with themselves. They need to come out fighting now and start winning 2nd balls and get the crowd behind them
They didn't mate. Most came up to the stand and the punters told them where to go,
 
Say what you like about Barry but he knows exactly what it takes to be a Ranger,well said Barry some of that team the other night should be ashamed of their performance.
 
fergie as a player is everything we miss right now thats for sure. i love ryan jack but for some reasom his football in 2020 has been poor ans davis is at the end of his career. shame we couldn't bring frew another fergie
 
Good article and I felt the same way myself watching the game. Would have been nice if he also called out the referee for his performance as well
 
Nail on the head. Its a team full of pussy's, just look at the lack of sticking up for one of there team mates when there is bother on the park. Take a look at the 86 team's first game at Easter Rd to see how you protect and fight for each other on the park.
 
Nail on the head. Its a team full of pussy's, just look at the lack of sticking up for one of there team mates when there is bother on the park. Take a look at the 86 team's first game at Easter Rd to see how you protect and fight for each other on the park.

Halliday got stuck in when one of theirs had a go at Hagi, but that was it.

Very rarely do you see them get involved or stand up for each other.
 
Moving forward we need to place a much greater emphasis on buying players with a track record of being winners, or having played considerably under that kind of pressure.

We arent in a position to sign any player who come from a club who need to win every single game.

In fact, I can't think of any other league has a situation like ours, where our title rival virtually never drops a point and is on course for winning every single trophy on offer for 4 years running.
 
fergie as a player is everything we miss right now thats for sure. i love ryan jack but for some reasom his football in 2020 has been poor ans davis is at the end of his career. shame we couldn't bring frew another fergie

Jack has played about 2.5 games in 2020, and been carrying an injury.
 
Send in Barry, Ian Ferguson and Bomber for a ten minute team talk.

You are spot on with that thinking.

I’ve said this before but when things aren’t going the Mhanks way at other teams grounds, they abandon the plan A and lump it forward, intimidate, break up the play, basically whatever it takes within the confines of what the refs let them off with (which is a lot)

The Rangers players need to start getting ‘mean’ and playing like there’s nothing they will accept other than victory. Play a fair game and be respectful as they always are but ffs try to grab the game and change it. Barry Ferguson was a wee shit and I hated him playing against us but he could wake the dead and get them fighting.
 
You are spot on with that thinking.

I’ve said this before but when things aren’t going the Mhanks way at other teams grounds, they abandon the plan A and lump it forward, intimidate, break up the play, basically whatever it takes within the confines of what the refs let them off with (which is a lot)

The Rangers players need to start getting ‘mean’ and playing like there’s nothing they will accept other than victory. Play a fair game and be respectful as they always are but ffs try to grab the game and change it. Barry Ferguson was a wee shit and I hated him playing against us but he could wake the dead and get them fighting.

We are nowhere even near savvy enough for that.

The thought of going five in midfield and seeing out a 1-0 when we’re struggling a wee bit actually seems alien to this squad and management.
 
After watching Gerrard’s interview I wanted to lob my size twelves at the tv
too.
Sure the players should get most of the blame but we have a manager who (not for the first time) watch that on Wednesday and stood there with his usual pose, arms folded, chewing on his lip and did f- all to change it.
 
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We arent in a position to sign any player who come from a club who need to win every single game.

In fact, I can't think of any other league has a situation like ours, where our title rival virtually never drops a point and is on course for winning every single trophy on offer for 4 years running.

You make a fair point mate.

Perhaps it's a need to sign more grizzled, experienced pro's then - guys like Kent, Aribo, Katic, Kamara who have bags of potential maybe aren't what we need in the immediacy to get results?

Of course experienced and established players don't come cheap.
 
I find it quite funny that my 2 favourite footballers of Rangers and non Rangers are Barry Ferguson & Steven Gerrard. Two leaders on and off the park, I actually think Barry would be a good addition to our coaching team, a bit like Kevin Thomson as well. They know what its all about. No harm to the backroom staff who all clearly know their jobs, but they all come from places where if you slip up in matches its bad but not the end of the world. KT and BF know that at Rangers, if you slip up it is catastrophic. I agree with Barry that looking at the players, there was no sense of "oh shit, lets get this sorted now" it was just keep plodding on and hope we get the win. Rangers teams do everything to get that win, they have that confidence that no matter what happens we are good enough to win it. I don't get that sense with our team, mainly because none of them (bar 2) are serial winners.
 
I'm glad hes came out and said that because I've said those very things several times on here.

Our players looked like dears in the headlights at the end of the game I'd rather they were throwing their toys out the pram.
 
Listening to a snippet of that Maurice Ross interview on the Talkin' Fitba podcast yesterday and it makes you wonder: do we have a dressing room of guys who will be in the ears of the other players demanding higher standards? Cajoling them to the point of insanity to get an extra 10% out of them?

Outside of McGregor and Davis, do we have those big characters in there to be setting the standard to which the rest of the squad must live up to?
 
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