The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Manager uncertainty ‘no excuse’
Rangers striker Kenny Miller claimed the wait for a new manager had no effect on the players ahead of their shock 2-0 defeat by Hamilton.
The Light Blues were looking to secure a hat-trick of victories for the first time in 2017 but Hamilton’s first league win at Ibrox for 91 years will now spark renewed demands from fans for the club to sort out their managerial hiatus.
Caretaker boss Graeme Murty had secured six points from his first two matches but Rangers have not even drawn up a final shortlist more than three weeks after Pedro Caixinha was sacked.
The club had previously declared they would do so after the end of this week but their recruitment search could be complicated by their upcoming double header against Aberdeen, the club managed by the favourite for the post, Derek McInnes.
Rangers first face Dundee on Friday night but Miller claims the uncertainty is no excuse.
The hosts created a catalogue of chances and hit the bar twice but Alfredo Morelos, who has now gone nine games without a goal, squandered enough opportunities to win the match on his own.
Miller said: “To be honest, whether there’s a new manager in place for this game or not, it’s not affected the lads whatsoever. We had a good week in training and we knew, if we performed well, we would win the game.
“Murts has come in and done a great job, like he did the last time, and the lads respond to what he wants done. Training has been bright and there has been a lift since he came in.
“Whether he is second favourite, favourite, 10th favourite doesn’t really matter. We have let ourselves down with the result. We are all in it together, it’s not about letting Graeme down or anybody else.”
While Rangers and Morelos in particular were profligate, Hamilton were the epitome of clinical.
Former Ibrox winger David Templeton showed composure to capitalise on a mistake by Ross McCrorie to give Accies the lead with their first real chance two minutes after the break, and Darren Lyon netted on a breakaway amid respite from the hosts’ late pressure.
Hamilton boss Martin Canning said: “This is just a fantastic result.”