We played into Celtic’s hands, sat off them & gave them too much time on ball. It won’t happen again
Gutted Wilson vows Gers are fired up to salvage pride in Ibrox crunch
DANNY WILSON has promised a strong Rangers reaction to their Hampden humbling.
The shattered defender vows the under-fire Ibrox men will hit back with a positive response in Saturday’s last-chance Old Firm crunch on home soil.
Wilson has come clean and admitted Rangers were timid in their Scottish Cup semi-final collapse. He says his team simply couldn’t get near enough to the champions to get into their faces and were taken apart.
He and his colleagues are still hurting from that debacle and it was the manner of the defeat that stung Light Blues fans as they trudged out of the ground.
Rangers capitulated at the National Stadium and were steamrollered. Pedro Caixinha’s team chased shadows as they slumped to a damaging loss that has battered morale and confidence.
Wilson doesn’t contest the fact Rangers were second best by a distance but is adamant the squad are determined to bounce back and deliver a final sting in the tail in front of their own fans.
Saturday’s Premiership clash offers a last chance in six this term to get one over their greatest rivals and regain some pride.
Wilson knows what’s at stake and said: “We’ll want a reaction. We’ve not beaten them this year.
“That’s a target for us in the game on Saturday. We’re disappointed we’ve not got to a cup final but we’ll learn from it.
“Changes were made at half-time to try to be positive then you lose a goal shortly after half-time from the penalty spot and you’re up against it.
“We just need to try to move on from it as quickly as we can.
“We’ve not won against Celtic this year so that’s what we’ll be looking to do this week.”
Wilson was left devastated by the semi-final shambles.
Caixinha drew up a game plan similar to the one that got his team a 3-0 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie a fortnight earlier. The Portuguese though had to watch and suffer as Celtic ripped it up.
Wilson admitted it was the same idea and said: “Similar. Sit in and frustrate them. But when you lose a goal after 10 minutes the game plan doesn’t work.
“You have to come out a wee bit more. At least not concede again and try to build your way back into the game.
“But we just never really got going. When we did get chances later in the game it was too late.
“They were 2-0 up and there was a mountain to climb. But that was this game. We were just poor. Sometimes that can happen. It’s happened maybe one
too many times this season.” Wilson’s final comment would suggest Rangers just don’t have the talent to challenge Celtic consistently head to head.
In the previous encounter the Light Blues showed up well at Parkhead and dug out a draw under interim boss Graeme Murty. However, four times they have been comprehensively sunk by the champions.
Wilson insists there is no fear factor but confessed the team looked timid at Hampden.
He said: “Probably from the outset we looked that. We gave them too much respect, too much time on the ball.
“They overloaded the midfield having the extra man and maybe we never got to grips with that.
“You never come into these games to be timid but when they get on the ball and move it like they did we weren’t able to get in their faces like we had done in the previous game at Parkhead.
“We never got to grips with the game and got what we deserved.
“Celtic were far superior to us and it’s very disappointing. We played into their hands, sat off them and gave them too much time on the ball.
“They’re good players and will punish you. Big gulf ? There was in this game. If you’re watching that you’re going to say that and over the course of the season we’ve found ourselves way behind in the league.
“There’s obviously a difference in the teams.
“We’re just so disappointed we weren’t able to make more of things in this game.” Talks between the disgruntled Ibrox troops took place on the pitch. Kenny Miller led a delegation to try to sort the problems but Wilson admitted not much was said after the contest by manager Caixinha. He said: “He didn’t say too much. He didn’t really need to in that changing room. We were all disappointed. “I’m sure we’ll talk about it during the week and move on.” As for the on-field inquest Wilson added: “You can probably guess what was being said but it’ll stay between us. We’re a team and if we’re going to do anything we have to stay together.”