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The Rangers are in no mood to make excuses, and James Tavernier will rarely insult their intelligence when trying.
The captain knows very well that his team deserves all the blows they will receive in the coming days. And there will be many judging by the furious reaction Michael Beale’s men encountered when the final whistle sounded at Ibrox. As Tavernier and Connor Goldson say they led their dejected team in an apology stunt, were told precisely where they could go and that they saw this team fail too many times.
The players’ patience was tested with the annihilation of Eindhoven on Wednesday. Four days later, losing to an injury-ravaged Celtic side that arrived at Ibrox without a single fan is too much for some Bears to bear. And Tavernier can’t argue with the anger that descended on him when they collapsed in the tunnel.
“Well, it’s justified,” he admitted. It’s as undeniable as that. We didn’t get the result the enthusiasts were looking for and that’s justified. We are disappointed. This is not the result we were looking for and we clearly perceived the frustration of the enthusiasts.
“The dressing room is angry and disappointed. You just lost to your rivals. In the first half we weren’t smart enough. In the second part it’s much bigger, but we want to be more clinical.
“I can’t understand [why things didn’t fall into place]. It is this last piece that we have to work on. We have a lot of new faces, but we have to keep running hard, moving forward, repairing the damage.
“[New signatures will have to be frozen] is no excuse. But we, as a team, have to be responsible. All of us, jointly and clearly individually. All of us, myself included, will have to keep working hard and surpass ourselves. It’s still early in the season.
“There are a lot of games left to play. It’s up to us to come back after this break abroad, bet on football and get the effects we have. “
Yesterday’s match was aimed at giving Rangers the best platform to bounce back from their humiliating Champions League defeat at the hands of ruthless PSV. But if they were seeking mercy from Brendan Rodgers, they were doing it seriously, as Kyogo Furuhashi pounced just before. halftime when the Light Blues’ defensive line was distorted by nothing more complicated than a looping header from Matt O’Riley.
Having now had a minute to live from his PSV moves, Tavernier and his colleagues face two tortuous weeks reflecting on missed opportunities now left by four problems with their fierce rivals just four games into the new season.
Tavernier said: “It’s the foreign week and everyone knows the guys who are going to leave and we need them to come back to be compatible and safe. But it’s up to us guys who will be there to fix things, paint the educational field and in the long run, it’s clear that we need to improve what we do.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland will be able to look in the mirror after having prevented a much worse result for Ibrox’s team. But beyond that, passing grades were slim. John Souttar failed to progress while Kyogo broke the Rangers’ offside trap to score, Nico Raskin and Ryan Jack had to watch Callum McGregor lead the display in midfield, while Cyriel Dessers and Rabbi Matondo, based on existing evidence, are a demotion even to selfless Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent, who worked their last season in Glasgow.
Tavernier himself aims to be part of the disgruntled fans despite having scored four goals already scored this season. Beale understands that the result will hurt, but he has come forward to protect his captain. The Londoner said: “Of course I can [acknowledge the criticism] but I’m not going to pillory a player.
“You will ask questions and communicate them to the players. James is our captain. It’s been fantastic. He is a right-back who plays opposite other wingers week after week; There is no right-back. “In football he signed once or twice.
“I don’t think there’s anything in today’s game that’s revealing about James. Are there spaces in each player’s game that they can take advantage of?Of course there are.
“Does James play safely as an attacking full-back, give us that breadth and move forward?Yes, it does. As captain, James contributes quite a bit to the team. But the coach admits that the effects will have to improve. “and quickly, in their own interest.
He said: “The fans will be disappointed when the team loses. I get it. This is the life of a football coach. There were enough moments of play for us. If I look at things as a coach, do we create enough moments?To score goals? We did, but we didn’t.
“This duty ends with me. The fans are only satisfied when we win football matches, I understand that. Definitely in this game. They will value functionality and effort, what counts is the result.
“Starting the match, I have to be honest, the result is incredibly vital for me as well, as well as for the players. We are all on the same page about this.
“We’re all disappointed that we didn’t get a result in a wonderful game and we know we want to improve. “