THE EIGHT-DAY MELTDOWN!
FROM scaling the heights in Europe to plumbing the depths of despair. For Rangers, it took little more than a week to complete that decline as their season became engulfed in domestic disarray.
The future of Steven Gerrard, the discipline of star striker Alfredo Morelos and the squad’s mental strength have all come under the spotlight. Players who excelled on the continent have lost to the bottom team in the Premiership twice in the space of five days.
Those were the first back-toback defeats of Gerrard’s reign. Wednesday night’s 1-0 home reverse against Hamilton was greeted with furious booing from Ibrox fans left bewildered by recent events and wondering exactly where their team goes next. Here Sportsmail takes a look back at an extraordinary eight-day period.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26
JuST three days after a chaotic 2-2 draw with St Johnstone, Rangers produce perhaps the finest 90-minute display of Gerrard’s 21-month tenure to defeat Braga 1-0 in Portugal and reach the Europa League last 16.
It is a note-perfect exhibition of tactical discipline within a framework that sustains both faultless defending and chancecreating counters. Ryan Kent’s excellent second-half goal is the least they deserve.
Afterwards, the £7million signing offers a glimpse of the dressing-room mindset that seems all the more revealing in hindsight.
‘The fact we are the underdogs in this competition means there is less expectation and tension in our play,’ said Kent.
That eyebrow-raising quote is rightly overshadowed by the immense positives of the evening. What no one knows then, however, is that Morelos — banned for the Braga second leg — had not yet returned to Glasgow after an approved trip to visit his ill mother in Colombia. ÷ STEVEN GERRARD said: ‘The players deserve everything that comes their way in terms of praise because they have had to take a bit (of criticism) recently.’
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27
PLEnTIFuL plaudits for Gerrard and his squad, who become Scotland’s last European representatives by 10pm when Celtic crash out against FC
Copenhagen. As the Ibrox manager admits, however, it is essential to make sure the momentum is carried into Saturday’s Scottish Cup quarterfinal at Tynecastle.
Preparations for that match begin at Auchenhowie. Without Morelos. He is 24 hours late in travelling back from South America and fails to report for the session as instructed.
Gerrard is therefore left with a massive call to make about the involvement of his top scorer in a match that holds the key to their domestic ambitions. Former Ibrox boss Ally McCoist gives a ‘huge thumbs up’ to Gerrard’s work, but warns that trophies remain the one true gauge of success. ÷ ALLY McCOIST said: ‘Now is the time Rangers supporters will be looking to win something.’
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28
LunCHTIME delivers the Europa League last-16 draw and a meeting with Bayer Leverkusen that is just about as tough as could be.
Gerrard praises the quality of the Germans, but is keen to keep his focus on domestic matters.
Rangers lost their previous visit to Hearts on January 26 — a result that signalled the sharp decline of their Premiership title challenge.
The Morelos issue is kept under wraps when Gerrard meets the media. Behind the scenes, however, a decision to axe the Colombian from the matchday squad is being taken. ÷ STEVEN GERRARD said: ‘The message to the players for this one is that if we go there and we don’t show our level and what we are about then we will find complications again.’
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29
An interview with Michael Beale appears on the club website in which the first-team coach cites Scottish football’s reliance on long balls and the way games are refereed as reasons for the disparity between European and domestic form.
‘I think the games (in Europe) are refereed in a certain way and the games are played more technically and less physically and that suits a lot of the players we have,’ said Beale.
The problem with that stance, of course, is that Rangers primarily play in Scotland. A few hours later, the Ibrox players prove Beale’s point in the worst possible way.
Gerrard confirms pre-match that Morelos has been dropped for a disciplinary breach.
With Florian Kamberi cup-tied, Greg Stewart takes over at the apex of the attack.
Rangers produce a desperate performance. James Tavernier’s wayward attempt at a back-header helps set up the winner for Oliver Bozanic. Gerrard’s men offer a minimal response.
A second season without a trophy is all but confirmed.
At the post-match media conference, the 39-year-old admits he has hit his lowest point. He hasn’t yet spoken with the players, instead choosing to spend time with his staff.
Gerrard also raises speculation about his future by admitting he has to do some soul-searching on the way ahead. ÷ STEVEN GERRARD said: ‘I just need to think. I am feeling pain right now because I want to win here, I am desperate to win here. I didn’t get the impression that the feeling amongst my players was the same.’
SUNDAY, MARCH 1
TAvERnIER insists the Rangers players all want Gerrard to stay as the fall-out from Gorgie develops.
‘We are devastated,’ adds Tavernier. ‘The lads are finding it hard to swallow. We have let the club down, the fans down, the gaffer down and ourselves down.’ Sources close to Gerrard tell
Sportsmail the former Liverpool and England captain has not given any serious consideration to walking away from his first managerial job.
The agent of Borna Barisic chooses this point to claim his client is unlikely to be back in Glasgow next term.
‘Rangers won’t be able to keep Borna after the season he’s had, even though he’s just signed a new contract,’ said Ives Cakarun. ÷ JAMES TAVERNIER said: ‘The gaffer has given everything to the boys and we have not delivered two seasons in a row.’
MONDAY, MARCH 2
Gerrard holds a private one-to-one meeting with Morelos, where the Colombian accepts a disciplinary sanction.
elsewhere, more opinions on the Ibrox boss emerge. Former Liverpool team-mate danny Murphy insists it is simply not in the character of his friend to quit.
However, ex-england manager Sam allardyce criticises Gerrard for being so emotional in public after the Hearts defeat.
‘You’ve got to be brave enough to overcome however down you feel — pick yourself up, be bright, bubbly and positive,’ said allardyce.
Closer to home, Hamilton counterpart Brian rice plays down the significance of rangers’ Cup failure ahead of their league meeting on Wednesday night, stressing it remained a ‘david v Goliath’ scenario. ÷ DANNY MURPHY said: ‘I’d be absolutely amazed if he walked, gobsmacked. It’s not in him, not the person I know. I don’t think there’s any chance of that at all. Not even one per cent.’
TUESDAY, MARCH 3
Gerrard reaffirms his commitment to rangers, insisting he will ‘never quit’ and expressing excitement over the challenge ahead.
It is an emphatic move to quash talk about his future.
He reveals phone calls of support from the Ibrox board and says he will be looking between now and the end of the season to see who in his squad is prepared to fight on.
a line is also drawn under the latest Morelos issue. Later that day, the striker releases a statement on Twitter to publicly apologise for his conduct.
‘I understand that people inside and outside the club are disappointed that I let them down,’ said Morelos. ‘It was never my intention to do so.’ ÷ STEVEN GERRARD said: ‘I am all-in. I signed up to something here and I knew there would be setbacks. This is when the club needs me most to stay on, fight and push forward.’
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4
FroM bad to worse. rangers suffer only a second home league defeat to Hamilton in 94 years to fall 13 points behind Celtic in the Premiership.
Chances are wasted in the first half and again after the restart, with Morelos heading off the bar and Tavernier ballooning over from close range.
Then disaster strikes. allan McGregor tips a Marios ogkmpoe header onto the woodwork but rangers cannot get the ball out of their own half.
Tavernier leaves a clearance to Connor Goldson, only for the centre-back to attempt a turn on the edge of his own area.
He is robbed by david Moyo, who pokes a low shot past McGregor. The goalkeeper’s fury is shared around Ibrox.
rangers attempt to lay siege but look increasingly panicstricken. Luke Southwood shines in goal for the visitors, while Ianis Hagi hits the bar and Steven davis is wasteful in front of goal.
Full-time brings a torrent of boos from those rangers fans who stayed until the end.
Gerrard admits his squad are bereft of confidence and that he faces a huge task to lift them out of their ‘rut’. ÷ STEVEN 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.’