talkSPORT pundit gleefully slaughters ‘worst side ever’ Rangers after Ajax defeat
Jason Cundy couldn’t wait to get started in tearing Rangers to pieces after their exit from Europe was confirmed by defeat to Ajax.
The 3-1 defeat at Ibrox on Tuesday (1 November) saw their long-awaited return to the Champions League yield no points and just two goals in finishing bottom of the group, having conceded 22 times.
The record goes down as the worst in the group stage for any side in the competition’s history, does nothing to relieve the pressure on Giovanni van Bronckhorst, and Cundy was more than happy to dance all over the club’s misery after the game.
Shouting over farm animal noises on talkSPORT on Tuesday night Cundy started his show with: “Has anyone seen the worst side in group stage Champions League history? Has anyone seen Rangers?”
After struggling his way through naming the starting XI he went on: “Can you hear me? Your boys have had one hell of a beating.”
He did the same with the subs before bellowing: “Gordon Ramsey, Ally McCoist, Ibrox Stadium, can you hear me? Your boys are the worst team in Champions League group stage history. Your boys took one hell of a beating.”
He then repeatedly shouted: “The worst side ever”.
Misery
Cundy, like many pundits, wants a reaction, and his fairly butchered attempt to recreate Bjørge Lillelien’s diatribe after Norway beat England in 1981 would probably get more of one if many of the club’s own support weren’t so beaten down right now.
Plenty will be just thankful that the Champions League campaign is now over, and having failed to snatch a Europa League spot at the last either robs them of the opportunity to experience more of the highs of last season, or spares them further embarrassment, depending on how much optimism there might be.
The likelihood is not much, and the growing feeling that van Bronckhorst is done at Ibrox now has an unwanted European record to rubber stamp it.
The Dutchman has provided some memorable moments since he took over from Steven Gerrard, but he has also now regressed to second best in the league behind Celtic, and has his name attached to this Champions League failure for the ages.
Questions have to be asked of the club as well since the squad appears to have a massive gap between faded stars who are no longer reaching their best and a revolving cast of supporting characters who come in and out of the line up without ever being fully established.
Players have to take some of the blame, but there is a feeling that the current regime is on its last legs, barring a major unforeseen turnaround.
Being very charitable, perhaps with the European commitments over this group can now focus on the domestic trophies and build some confidence, but results at home haven’t been fantastic of late either.
The group of death and the long list of injuries have by no means helped the manager, but the defeatist attitude in Europe this season was not befitting a club whose fans were proud to finally be back in the competition, and who came within a penalty shootout of winning the Europa League last year.
Whether it be tactics, team selection, or managerial change, there needs to be some sort of overhaul soon or this season will be beyond repair.
In other Rangers news, one former club chief is so upset by an unbelievable failure to apologise he is now gunning for £75million in damages.