Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE’RE IN BAD RUT
Gerrard admits he feels lower than ever after another crushing setback
STEVEN GERRARD admitted he felt at an all-time low after watching his Rangers side slump to a shock home loss to Hamilton.
The Ibrox support turned on the team as Gerrard suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time in his Light Blues reign after David Moyo’s second half winner hauled Brian Rice’s men off the bottom of the table.
Gerrard insists his players are suffering a confidence crisis and he has a huge job to pick them up after witnessing a dejected dressing room at full-time.
The devastating defeat leaves Gers trailing leaders Celtic by 13 points and Gerrard admitted yet another mistake had cost them with Connor Goldson gifting Accies their winner.
It comes just five days after the Light Blues went out of the Scottish Cup to then-bottom side Hearts and led to speculation over Gerrard’s future.
But after 48 hours of soul-searching the 39-year-old vowed to battle on and refused to throw in the towel.
He knows he has a massive task on his hands to turn things around after Accies won for only the second time at Ibrox in the league in 94 years. Gerrard said: “I didn’t think I could be more disappointed than I was after Hearts but here I am, even more disappointed than I was a few days ago.
“Where do we start? We have just given three points away, it’s as simple as that. Again a mistake has cost us.
“’I’m not really sure I’ve got that many words to describe it. I laid down the gauntlet before the game and will continue to do that but I have a dressing room shot of confidence. We have played ourselves into a rut and I’ve got a real tough job to pick that up and improve it from here. We’ve got a lot to do.
“I played the game for many years and I’ve been in dressing rooms where confidence is shot and things are not great. I’m not going to say this is the first time I’ve experienced that. But the dressing room is very quiet at the moment.
“Myself and my staff are flat because we are doing everything we can. Trying to change formations and personnel, doing different things in training to try to lift and put confidence into them. I thought we lacked desire and commitment at the weekend which was really tough to take. I don’t think we lacked that tonight. Tonight was more about quality and taking your chances in the final third.”
Rangers welcomed Alfredo Morelos (inset) back after he was axed for their Tynecastle defeat but all he could do was power a header against the crossbar early in the second half.
And with the Ibrox crowd growing anxious, Moyo took advantage of a mix-up between Goldson and James Tavernier to prod home the winner after 56 minutes.
It was only the second time Accies have celebrated victory in Govan in the last 94 years.