Boyd shares who’s to blame for Rangers display that triggered Martin rant
Rangers’ Scottish Premiership campaign got off to a shaky start as they drew 1-1 away at Motherwell at the weekend.
Russell Martin’s side were outplayed for parts of the game, creating just one big chance as opposed to Motherwell’s four and were perhaps lucky in the end to get a draw.
Martin did not pull any punches when talking about his team after the game in a move which has been criticised by some pundits.
Former Rangers player Kris Boyd was in favour of Martin’s harsh words following the full-time whistle, however, and blasted the group of players who have been at Ibrox for multiple years now.
Boyd blasts usual suspects as Rangers drop points
Kieran Dowell was one of the players who failed to perform over the weekend, with the experiment of playing the 27-year-old out wide evidently failing.
Speaking on The Scottish Sun’s YouTube channel (4 August), Boyd was critical of multiple notable names in the Gers side.
When asked whether he felt Martin’s harsh criticisms were aimed at the likes of John Souttar, James Tavernier, Nicolas Raskin, Mohammed Diomande, Dowell and Danilo, Boyd said: “I think so. You can’t say players revert back to type when [Martin’s] new signings have only been in the door for five or six weeks.
“Revert back to type is players that have been there for a period of time and I’ve got to be honest, I don’t think anybody can disagree with him.
“The ones who have been there, they can’t really put up any fight to say they didn’t revert back to type at the weekend.”
- Diomande won just one of his four ground duels in midfield for Rangers against Motherwell
Boyd, who made 172 appearances across two stints for Rangers, continued: “It was the opening day of the season, live on Sky, an opportunity to go and kickstart your campaign… and you’ve got to say there was a large chunk of that starting XI that let Rangers down, once again.”
While Martin’s tactics have been criticised by onlookers, the players should also carry their share of the blame following the lacklustre performance.
Mikey Moore must hit ground running
One player that can be easily displaced from the starting XI is Dowell.
With Moore coming in on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, the Ibrox faithful will be hoping that the winger can come in and hit the ground running when he is available to play.
With Findlay Curtis impressing against Panathinaikos, Moore’s arrival and the Oliver Antman deal on the brink of completion, Dowell’s days in G51 may be numbered.
As the season continues to progress, it will become evident that if the crop of players Boyd referred to earlier does not adapt to Martin and his philosophy, then they will be gradually shown the door.
This is a move that some Gers supporters may feel is long overdue, with Old Firm rivals Celtic winning the last four titles on the bounce.
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