Let’s start by tackling the elephant in the room.
I’m not going to pretend I haven’t heard the concerns and frustrations of my fellow Rangers supporters over the past few days. Ever since Sunday’s defeat at Rugby Park some of them have turned their attention towards Philippe Clement and the calls for his head have begun. I’m well aware of that. But I also believe there is a deeper issue right now which needs to be confronted.
Look, Clement is going nowhere. He was handed a new four-year deal just a couple of months ago and he’s been trusted with overseeing a major period of transition. He said himself that there would probably be some pain along the way and he wasn’t wrong. More than that, I’m sure he’ll realise that he can’t expect to be given a free pass if the results are not what they should be so it will come as no surprise to him to hear the supporters venting their unhappiness. That’s just the price of the ticket at a club which is built on delivering success.
But while I can understand why the Belgian is feeling a bit of unwanted heat right now I have also reached the conclusion that it’s not a change of manager Rangers need right now – it’s a major overhaul of mentality that’s really required. And I can say that as someone with the experience of coming through some difficult periods when, as players, we knew the patience of the supporters was being pushed to its limits.
Trust me, I know exactly how that feels and it’s a horrible place to be in. But it’s also part and parcel of playing for such a special club and dealing with the demands that come with wearing the jersey. I hated it when I felt I was part of a team that was letting them down. I was just as angry because, first and foremost, I was one of them too. Losing games and suffering disappointments hurt me every bit as much as it did them.
But I was lucky enough to be in the position of being able to do something about it the next time I stepped out on to a pitch.
And that’s why I’m now left to wonder what is really going through the minds of these current players because I could hardly believe what I was watching when I switched on the telly at lunchtime on Sunday.
Within 10 or 15 minutes of kick-off I actually turned to my eldest boy and told him that Rangers would be lucky to get out of there with a 0-0 draw. If anything, I was already preparing myself for Kilmarnock to take all three points.
And that is what disappoints me more than anything else. Forget the style of play, forget the manager’s decisions – of course, they’re all important but none of these details really matter unless the players have the hunger and desire to take their share of responsibility when they cross that white line.
Put it this way, I heard someone say the away dressing room was a very quiet place after the final whistle. Hold on a minute, a quiet place? If I was in there I’d be turning it upside down on the back of a defeat which could not have come at a worse moment.
I wrote in this column last week that the best possible result for Rangers at Parkhead on Saturday would have been a draw between Celtic and Aberdeen.
When I heard it was 2-0 at half time I just shrugged my shoulders and expected Celtic to see it out or add another couple of goals.
So when the news came through that Aberdeen had pulled it back to 2-2 I could feel a spring in my step again. OK, I admit, I feared the worst when they said there would be 10 minutes of injury time added on. ‘Here we go,’ I thought to myself, ‘We all know what happens now!’
But Aberdeen dug deep and held on for a terrific result and that tells me Jimmy Thelin and his players are going no-where soon. It suggests they have the mentality to make a genuine fight of it this season. And it made me think how’d I’d have been feeling on Saturday night if I was leading Rangers out against Kilmarnock the next day. I’d have been absolutely desperate to get down that M77 and to show everyone that Rangers are also right up for the battle.
Where was that mentality when it was needed? Why were they so lacklustre when the opportunity was staring them in the face to take a two point chunk out of the gap at the top of the table? And don’t tell me the conditions didn’t suit them. It’s not as if they got off that bus, took a look around and said, ‘Where’s the grass? Nobody told us we were playing on plastic. And what about the wind by the way? It’s a bit blustery!”
No, they knew exactly what was waiting for them down the road – a strong, physical Kilmarnock side with a very capable manager on a nightmare of pitch and with storm Ashley blowing in off the Irish Sea. There can be no excuse for the way they went about responding to the challenge. When they needed to dig deep, be determined and resilient they were the complete opposite.
I was left scratching my head and wondering what exactly is going through their heads. What makes them think a performance like this is even close to acceptable, especially in these circumstances?
They were slow, sluggish and lost every second ball. They were second best all over the pitch. It was as if they didn’t realise the importance of what they were involved in. I wasn’t expecting a free flowing, high scoring, entertaining performance. I don’t think many Rangers fans would have turned up thinking a 4-0 or 5-0 win was on the cards.
But I was expecting to see them put up a fight. That’s why the mind set has to change and it has to happen immediately. Rangers now face three games in six days now against Steaua Bucharest, St Mirren and then Aberdeen at Pittodrie. If they think they’re getting a hard time at the moment then just wait until next week if they come away with anything less than three wins on the bounce.
Difficult times like this might not be an enjoyable experience but they can also be the making of you as a Rangers player. There is no hiding place and no room for making excuses. The fans will judge with their own eyes if you’re mentally up for the challenge or not.