Forget sack talk and ... Ibrox fans need to

IT HAS been a rollercoaster of a season for Rangers. At times they have been good to watch but at others it has been very, very poor and the fans feel let down.

The fact Celtic are running away with the league doesn’t help. But at Ibrox everyone has to be singing off the same hymn sheet.

There are a few of the players who are lacking a bit of confidence right now. I have said many times in this column that when you are a Rangers player you have to take everything on board.

Just because you are a good player, that doesn’t mean you will be a success at Rangers.

When you are not playing well and not winning games, the fans will not be slow in telling you. The fans are as angry as they have been for a while.

There are players in the squad that are not good enough and the recruitment hasn’t been great. A lot of players haven’t lived up to expectations and they haven’t done it for Rangers.

Some of the players who have come just haven’t performed and others have been signed with one eye on the future. But that doesn’t help the manager or the club right now.

Every player now has to stand up and be counted and get on with it. When you go out there, you know when the fans are on your case.

If you don’t perform, you will be criticised. That is the way it has always been at Rangers and the way that it always will be.

It is down to whether you can handle it or not. If you can’t, then you shouldn’t be anywhere the team.

Rangers need players that have a big heart, that are mentally strong. I know they are working hard, I don’t think you can fault the effort, but they need to perform to the level that they are capable of.

To do that, they need the fans to help them. If they are being shouted and bawled at, that won’t do their confidence any good and the situation will only get worse.

The fans have been fantastic for Rangers through what has been the toughest time in the club’s history. They stood by their team through thick and thin and they need to continue giving their support in what is another difficult time.

It was only a few months ago that the fans were singing the manager’s name and now there are a section that want rid of Mark and want rid of the players.

If Celtic were to win the Scottish Cup this season, that would mean that at the teams that finish second, d, third and fourth would get a place in the Europa Leagueeague qualifiers. But Rangers have to focus on getting g that second spot.

To do that, they will need the backing of the supporters. I know it is difficult for the crowd when they aren’t happy with h what is happening ng on the park but they can make a differenceerence between now and d the end of the season.

THE punters pay their money, tens of thousands of them up front, and they are quite entitled to have their say. They want to be entertained and they want to see their team winning and rightly so. But it is not happening for some players right now and what they need is backing from the supporters to help them through a really important few weeks.

The Old Firm game at Parkhead and the game at Pittodrie are not too far away but there is a crucial run coming up for Rangers and they need to try to string a few results together. In every one of t hose fixtures, the last thing that the players need is to have the fans on their back. If they can support the team rather than boo them then hopefully we can see a pick-up in performances and results. When it gets towards the end of the campaign, the letters will be sent out regarding season tickets and the board need as many fans as possible to put their money down again. Everyone has been looking at the negatives and asking what would happen if Morton were to win at Ibrox on Sunday. But what if Rangers were to go on and win the Scottish Cup and finish second? Things can change quickly in football. When we lost at Tynecastle in November, the players responded in the right way and we beat Aberdeen and Heart sat Ibr ox and put together a few results. All of a sudden we get a couple of bad results and it all kicks off again.

Rangers haven’t been consistent this season and that has really cost them and is why they find themselves as close to Aberdeen and Hearts as they are.

When you are not playing well, you have to win games. We didn’t play well against Ross County last weekend but we couldn’t win the game. It is an important fixture against Morton this weekend. Everyone has to be pulling in one direction for the good of the club.

I know it is difficult for the crowd but they can make the difference