The look on Vaclav Cerny’s ashen face said it all.
Pale, pallid, drained of colour, the Czech winger was dazed as he sat in the corner of a cramped Dens Park press room. He didn’t want to be there. Certainly not after a result like Rangers’ 1-1 draw with Dundee on Thursday night. Cerny was angry and agitated. Visibly fed-up at regularly having to speak after yet another dire away display from Philippe Clement’s side.
His mood was confirmed when he snapped back at one journalist for getting the pronunciation of his first name slightly wrong. But deep down, it wasn’t that which was irking Cerny. It was the fact that, just a week after battering Old Firm rivals Celtic in a 3-0 derby win at Ibrox, Clement’s men were now officially out of the Premiership title race. If they were ever really in it in the first place.
The dismal draw at Dens left Rangers 15 points behind Brendan Rodgers’ side, who have disappeared into the distance at the top. In 11 away games this term, it seems incredible that Cerny and Co. have only managed to win THREE of them.
Like his manager, he’s at a loss to try and explain how that’s happened – especially when going on their travels in Europe doesn’t seem to be an issue. What makes it worse for Cerny is that they KNOW they can compete with the runaway leaders on any given day.
They proved it in the League Cup Final at Hampden and that emphatic derby triumph just 10 days ago. That’s why the on-loan Wolfsburg wideman looked shell-shocked in midweek. He’s one of the few players in Clement’s squad who has performed to an acceptable level this season, bagging 11 goals in total. Cerny wasn’t at his best against Dundee. But he still managed to produce a moment as he hauled Clement’s team back into the game after they’d gone behind.
The obvious accusation to throw at Rangers is that they lack the type of mentality required to grind out results away from Ibrox. Cerny isn’t buying that. But at the same time, he’s exasperated trying to work out why they can’t win on the road.
He said: “Does there have to be a change in mentality in these games? No, that’s not fair. It might look like that because we’re not winning them and I get that question. But we’ve also missed a bit of luck and sometimes a decision has gone against us. That’s all OK because it’s part of the game. But it’s not that (mentality).
“It’s just US. Us, us, us. We have to focus on us and the mentality that a Rangers squad should have. It’s tough for all of us right now. But we’ve shown already this season that we can get back to winning games. We’re in that position again now. We’re not losing these games. But we’re not winning. So it’s hard but we’ve got to stick together.”
When Rangers wiped the floor with Celtic on their own patch, you would have thought THEY were the side leading the way in the title race. But dropped points at St Mirren, Motherwell, Hibs and Dundee have left them trailing in their neighbours’ wake. And Cerny couldn’t hide his frustration.
Now, he says they MUST – by hook or by crook – find a formula to win on their travels. But how do they find motivation to keep going in the league when he admits the flag is already beyond them? The wideman said: “The motivation here should be to try and win every game, which IS possible.
“We’ve been close in every single game to winning. We want to be the best we can be, as we’ve shown in the big European games and many times in the league as well.
“Our consistency and drive has to be as good as possible every time we play. It’s all up to us. We’re the ones dropping points, we’re the ones who aren’t consistent. And we need to get it right because the potential, the will and the ambition from the squad are there. It’s just about winning more, especially in away games. It doesn’t matter how.”
If they don’t, there will continue to be a backlash from irate supporters who have had enough of their away day blues – and the chasm that exists between Rangers and their closest rivals. On Thursday night, Cerny was seen at full-time ushering his team-mates off the pitch at Dens Park, clearly sensing the away fans weren’t interested in being clapped at by players or Clement.
He’s annoyed that – especially after the Old Firm win – there is now a disconnect between the team and their supporters. Cerny accepts the criticism for displays and results but hopes they can fight together in their quest to start winning home and away.
He said: “It would be amazing to feel the fans are behind us. But it’s understandable if they are not. We get it. And believe me, that’s another motivation for us –to get this club united with the supporters every single three days when we play a game. It’s my big wish – no, it’s our big wish – to try and do that for them.”