Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
IT’S A GAME OF TWO ALFS Morelos double saves Gers after boss has half-time rant
STEVEN GERRARD told his Rangers players they weren’t fit to wear the jerseys as his half-time team talk sparked a title revival.
The Ibrox side moved to within a point of Celtic at the top with a dramatic win over St Johnstone in Perth.
Rangers came from behind courtesy of two Alfredo Morelos strikes, the winner a stunning volley two minutes from time to take his tally for the season to 19 so far.
Gerrard savaged his players at the break, sparking a response that saw them win just their fourth league game out of 10 on the road this season.
He said: “The first half wasn’t good enough all over the pitch. We were awful. Nobody did the shirt justice, nobody looked like a Rangers player to me.
“I had to have the honest conversation with them at half-time. I let my feelings be known clearly. I had to tell them what the fans thought of them because you could hear their reaction at the end of the first half.
“There was no hairdryer in there but if there was one it would have been used.
“My job is to let them know what the fans think and it’s my job to demand more out of them and we got a major reaction second half. Every single player to a man stood up to be counted.
“You saw the two sides to us. The team in the first half was second best all over the pitch and made hard work of it, then we were a quality team who look capable of being at the top of the table. We are really pleased with three really big points with the two games we have on the horizon. In the second half they had more bravery, belief, character.
“But we shouldn’t have to make substitutions so early and I shouldn’t have to be looking at every single player eye-to-eye at half-time, demanding a reaction from them.
“That shouldn’t be the case if you’re a Rangers player. That should come naturally.”
Rangers’ title challenge could have been fatally compromised had they failed to win ahead of home fixtures against Hibs on Boxing Day and Celtic on December 29. Now, Gerrard insists his side can go into both games with increased confidence.
But he warned: “I need to see the performance from the second half today for the whole of the next two games.”