Ally McCoist: Rangers completely lost the plot in defeat v Liverpool
Ally McCoist felt Rangers completely “lost the plot” in the latter stages of their 7-1 Champions League defeat against Liverpool at Ibrox.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side capitulated in the latter stages of the game as Mohamed Salah scored a six-minute hat trick to condemn the Gers to a fourth group stage defeat on the spin.
McCoist felt the Light Blues “crumbled” and that the gulf in quality between the two sides was there for all to see in the last 15 minutes.
Talking on talkSPORT Breakfast (13 October, 06:12), McCoist said: “They just crumbled, they absolutely crumbled. It was 3-1 with 15 minutes to go and they just lost the plot. Salah came on and was absolutely ruthless.
“There was nothing more evident than the gulf in class than in the last 15 minutes. At that level, it can be so unforgiving. If you’re not on it anything can happen.”
Wake up call
This week’s events should be a big wake-up call for Scottish football. This is a Liverpool side that has struggled in the Premier League this season. They’ve drawn to Brighton and Crystal Palace and were nearly held to a point by Fulham. These are sides that Rangers probably feel they can compete with.
However, on last night’s showing, the Gers are a long way off the level required to compete with Premier League clubs, let alone the best in Europe. This is van Bronckhorst’s lowest moment as Rangers boss and his fate probably lies with what he can deliver domestically for the Gers.
The Light Blues have little hope of snatching third place off Ajax, with the Gers needing to get a point in Naples to stand and have realistic hope of catching the Dutch side. The domestic scene is where the Dutchman will need to look to restore some of his credibility.
A league title and probably a domestic trophy will now be the bare minimum for the Rangers boss to avoid serious questions being asked about his tenure at the club.
In other Rangers news, there’s been yet another high-profile exit from behind the scenes at Ibrox.