Alexander: ‘Well failed to punish 10-man Gers
MOTHERWELL........................................1 RANGERS.................................................3 Ben Banks at Fir Park
Motherwell manager Graham Alexander says his team have to start playing on the front foot consistently – as they aren’t good enough to step off matches.
The Steelmen lost 3- 1 to 10- man Rangers at Fir Park in their first postsplit Premiership game on Sunday.
A Liam Kelly own goal had them behind but they were in the ascendency by half-time when Ross Tierney levelled and Gers had Leon Balogun sent off.
It mattered not as a dismal second 45 minutes from the hosts saw Scott Wright score and a James Tavernier penalty inflict another loss upon them in North Lanarkshire.
Alexander’s side have won just once in the 14 league games since December but are still in the hunt for a European spot. And he reckons his side need to be more positive.
The 50-year-old said: “For 45 minutes it was really good. We were committed as a team and pressed them all over the park, causing them problems.
“We didn’t give them time on the ball to get their rhythm and when they went down to 10 men, it was certainly there for us to take.
“We had to stay on the front foot and put pressure on them. We didn’t do that right from the start. We allowed them to pop it around and put it over our heads.
“They walked through our team to score the second goal. It was there for us. It’s a real disappointing one for us.
“Until we learn the lessons of how our team does its best work constantly, our form will be up and down.
“We have to try and remedy that.” Three defining matches in their pursuit of fourth or fifth await, heading on the road to Dundee United and Ross County before hosting Hearts in their last home match of the season. Celtic await on the final day.
Alexander added: “We need to either take a step forward or a step back. We have to be on the front foot and be aggressive, that’s where our success of finishing in the top six has come from.
“It’s not been from sitting deep, it’s been from not letting the other team play their own style. I don’t think it’s confidence, you could see that in the first half.
“We put Rangers under pressure and got the crowd behind us. We need to fix this mindset where we have to be so disciplined. Taking a step back is the worst thing we can do because we aren’t good at it.”