Shameful Rangers just didn’t care enough
MOTHERWELL, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 17: Ryan Kent of Rangers is challenged by Robbie Crawford of Motherwell during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Motherwell and Rangers at Fir Park on January 17, 2021 in Motherwell, Scotland. Sporting stadiums around Scotland remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
There’s no question this headline is provocative and reactionary, and perhaps given time we’ll reflect on things more calmly, with the greater picture still looking excellent and standings as you were in the SPL.
But if our Rangers side has tried less hard, moved less, worked less and shown less urgency or guts this season, we’d love to know about it.
Manager Steven Gerrard will be absolutely seething at his layabouts, who showed very little inclination, to a man, sadly, to work hard in this one and win the match.
But for a world class cross from serial provider Borna Barisic and clinical header from sub Cedric Itten, Rangers would have lost that one, because they didn’t force Liam Kelly into a meaningful save till the last minute and Jermain Defoe’s sprightly effort.
This was, in short, abysmal, and completely unacceptable.
It doesn’t matter that Celtic drew and are in pieces, it mattered that we continued to tighten the screw and keep winning.
Especially at the bottom team.
But the visiting players showed complacency for the first time this season, and it’s really cost us.
Sure, in the bigger picture all is well, we remain miles ahead in the league.
But this was the first warning that Rangers can’t just show up and expect to win.
We didn’t play badly, not horribly, and we’ve been worse, but the complete sloth in our team out there was dreadful and we never want to see that level of complacency from this team again.
Not good enough.