Rangers: Andy Walker reacts to fixture split ‘anomaly’ amid pressure at Ibrox in Celtic race
Andy Walker says no clubs will be complaining over their fixture split as he attributed the loss of Rangers form to “pressure”.
The pundit reacted to the release of the scheduled for the run in on the Go Radio Football Show (16 April), dismissing the “slight anomaly” of St Mirren’s games against the Light Blues, Celtic and Hearts.
Rangers have dropped to four points behind the Hoops at the top of the table, with the midweek trip to Dundee in hand, after losing to Ross County for the first time ever at the weekend, which Walker claims is due to the players being in an unfamiliar situation.
He said, via the Daily Record: “I think every club have got 19 home and 19 away.
“The slight anomaly is that St Mirren have got Rangers and Hearts three times at home, and St Mirren have also got Celtic away three times. I can’t see anyone complaining.
“We are at a stage now where it’s neck and neck, where you have got to win your games. The only reason you are losing at this stage is pressure. The only reason Rangers lost was just the pressure of the game and they haven’t had players in this position before.”
Rangers feeling the pressure after Ross County loss?
Pressure is the simplest explanation for why Philippe Clement’s side have followed up a steamrolling January and February, where they won 11 games in a row across all competitions, with three losses and two draws in the seven games since.
Injuries are an ever-present issue at Ibrox but Rangers had managed to deal with that impressively in the weeks prior to the slump.
And as it is years since there was an actual title race that looked like going down to the wire the Celtic squad isn’t packed with players who have experienced it either, so whatever the reason the Gers need to rebound immediately.
It is true that the twice-rearranged Dundee fixture, coupled with the international break and a tough Europa League assignment against Benfica, have made it difficult to rebuild momentum after the surprise home defeat by Motherwell on 2 March.
But league and cup victories over Hibs couldn’t explain the disastrous start subsequently against Celtic on 7 April, and then having fought back to level that game twice to leave the Ibrox crowd buoyant there was again no reaction as Ross County deservedly recorded a shock victory.
Big players, particularly at the back, need to snap out of their appalling-timed loss of form to put the title challenge back on track.
Win every game and Rangers will still be champions, and while the split doesn’t look too bad it necessarily will require a win at Parkhead.
The Light Blues haven’t won there since the last title-winning campaign, and Clement has yet to beat the other side of the Old Firm in his first two attempts, both of which will have to be changed sooner rather than later so it might as well be before the end of this season.
In other Rangers news, a pundit has reacted to a Gers “shocker” as they made a “massive” new claim about Celtic.
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