Steven Naismith hits out at ‘Scared’ Rangers players after what he saw at Ibrox
Steven Naismith has slammed Rangers after the loss to Motherwell at Ibrox on Saturday.
The Gers were defeated 2-1 in Barry Ferguson’s first home match (1 March) since taking over from Philippe Clement on a temporary basis.
Cyriel Dessers pulled one back for the Light Blues after Luke Armstrong and Tom Sparrow had given the visitors the lead, but it ended up being nothing more than a consolation.
The result leaves Rangers 16 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership with nine matches left.
Rangers played blasted after Motherwell loss
Former Scotland striker Naismith has blasted the Rangers players for their performance on Saturday (1 March).
Naismith questioned the mental strength of the Gers squad after a third successive home defeat in all competitions, including the nadir that was a Scottish Cup loss to Queen’s Park.
Speaking to PLZ Soccer (3 March, 1:41 pm), he said: “I think there is some in the squad that have got leadership skills but I’m not sure there’s enough of them.
“When it is 0-0 with 20 minutes to go at Ibrox and the fans are demanding, who is still brave enough to make the right pass? or to take a shot at the right time? Not just pass off the opportunity.
“That is the part that the players need to grasp the opportunity, I think as a player at the Old Firm that is one, you need to deal with the pressure and get used to it but secondly you have to see the opportunity and not be scared of it.
“I currently think too many are scared of that feeling.”
Ibrox form is a concern for Rangers
The Light Blues’ home record has been a rare positive for most of the season but it has nosedived recently with that Scottish Cup exit to lowly Queen’s Park, and league losses to St Mirren and Motherwell.
Before the defeats to the latter duo, the Gers had only dropped points in one match at Ibrox, winning 12 matches and drawing one.
Their away record was a much bigger concern, with just six wins on the road, compared to four draws and four losses.
| Team | Result |
| Fraserburgh | 6-0 (W) |
| Union Saint-Gilloise | 2-1 (W) |
| Ross County | 4-0 (W) |
| Queen’s Park | 0-1 (L) |
| St Mirren | 0-2 (L) |
| Motherwell | 1-2 (L) |
However, the recent dip at home is a worrying trend and backs up Naismith’s claims about the mental fragility of the squad.
There are some serious upgrades needed for the Bears to compete with Celtic for domestic dominance on and off the pitch, and the 49ers takeover is not a silver-bullet solution – it will not solve all of the Gers issues, not by any means.
It should end the shareholder fighting that has dogged the Auchenhowie outfit in recent years, but there is major surgery needed in the new few transfer windows.
It will not be a quick process. Bears supporters need to patient, mistakes will be made along the way, but hopefully eventually, things will get better and the club will start to catch up to their Glasgow rivals.