ian1964 10,416 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 IN APPORTIONING blame for Rangers' damaging exit from the Champions League, it is perhaps too easy to adopt a scattergun approach. From the pitch, to the technical area and all the way up to the directors' box, there would have been no shortage of targets for the ire of Rangers fans had they been at the Swedbank Stadium on Wednesday night. Uefa's one-match ban on their travelling support meant Rangers were spared an initial close-quarters inquisition for their implosive performance in drawing 1-1 against Malmo and slumping out of the elite club tournament 2-1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round. The debate will rage on as to whether Rangers would have avoided such a costly fate had new owner Craig Whyte achieved greater success in the transfer market or whether new manager Ally McCoist could have prepared his team more effectively for the tie against the unseeded and unremarkable Swedish title holders. But while Whyte and McCoist unquestionably still have it all to prove in their fledgling roles, it is harsh in the extreme to hold them accountable for the folly perpetrated by two others on Wednesday. No-one could begin to legislate for the inane actions of Steven Whittaker and Madjid Bougherra in getting themselves sent off and leaving their team-mates with just too much to do to turn the tie around. Irrespective of how many new players the Whyte regime has so far managed to recruit, it is clear that the existing group available to McCoist should have been more than capable of comfortably defeating Malmo. It was equally apparent on Wednesday that the damage done in the 1-0 first leg defeat at Ibrox was far from irreparable, leaving the ludicrous indiscipline of Whittaker and Bougherra all the more galling for McCoist. Remarkably, Bougherra left the stadium protesting his innocence, despite a forearm smash on Malmo substitute Dardan Rexhepi which saw the home player carried off on a stretcher and left Rangers reduced to nine men for the final 24 minutes. While Bougherra was in denial, however, Whittaker at least earned some credit yesterday by accepting responsibility for his petulant show of dissent in the 18th minute when he threw the ball at Malmo winger Jimmy Durmaz. "I'm gutted with what happened," said Whittaker. "I don't usually react to things like that, but for some reason I did this time. I just got caught up in the game, caught up in the moment. "We were all determined to get the right result. But I let everyone down. Their guy kicked me off the ball and I threw it at him, which I shouldn't have done. The referee obviously saw what happened and took the decision to send me off which was disappointing. "I felt he could have booked me and got on with it, but he clearly saw it differently and thought I deserved to go. To be fair, straight after I'd done it I knew I shouldn't have done it. "Right from that exact moment I was filled with regret, wishing I could turn the clock back ten seconds. But you can't do that, can you, so I just had to deal with it. The guy played it inside and went to challenge for the ball. When the boy came close to me I managed to brush him aside and we ended up in the ground. "As he fell, he kicked out at me, but I reacted in the wrong way - that's the bottom line. As I walked off I was pretty devastated and gutted for the boys. I was leaving them on the pitch with so much to do. "They did brilliantly to get the lead with ten men after that and I thought for a while they were going to win it. I watched the rest of the first half from the dressing room, got myself changed and saw the second half from the stand. But it just wasn't to be. It wasn't nice sitting there. "The other boys just told me to keep my head up after the game. There are plenty of other games this season and we'll try to put things right. "I'll bounce back from this, we all will, even though going out of the Champions League is far from ideal. We responded and won the league after we went out to Kaunas three years ago so hopefully we can do the same again." Rangers will pay a heavy price for the red mist which engulfed them on Wednesday. Whittaker and Bougherra incur automatic one-match suspensions and possibly further bans if Uefa deem their offences as serious misconduct. In Bougherra's case, that may prove irrelevant if he completes his proposed �£1.7?million transfer to Qatari side Lekhwiya. Sasa Papac will also miss the first leg of Rangers' Europa League play-off tie later this month as a result of being booked in both legs against Malmo. With captain David Weir and recent signing Dorin Goian both recovering from hamstring injuries, it leaves McCoist with major defensive problems for the tie. The Uefa signing deadline for the play-off tie is next Monday, although clubs can again add one 'wild card' by 11pm on the eve of the first leg which is scheduled for 18 August. Rangers could also be in line for a fine from Uefa for having more than five players booked in one match. They incurred six yellow cards from Russian referee Vladislav Bezborodov on Wednesday, in addition to the straight reds shown to Whittaker and Bougherra. For the moment, those two players are the men who must carry the can for the calamity visited upon Rangers in Malmo. But if the club's fortunes in the transfer market and on the pitch do not show a rapid upturn, then there will be scant mitigation available for Whyte and McCoist. http://sport.scotsman.com/theoldfirm/Steven-Whittaker-39filled-with-regret39.6813227.jp?articlepage=1 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Still raging at him and think he should spend a couple of weeks on the bench. But he is one of us so thanks for the apology Steven learn from this and start to show the quality we have seen in glimpses on a regular bases. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggordy 0 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 There's nothing anyone can do to change the fact that we're out and SW's sending off was a huge factor. We can only hope this inspires him to go on and have a good season. I also hope he isn't booed at the game tomorrow, that won't do anyone any good. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,416 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 He has had a very bad start to the season,and he isn't everyones favourite,but he is a Rangers player and I absolutely hate it when I hear Rangers players getting boos from Rangers fans,and it happens. The guy was stupid and he admits his stupidity so for me no-one should be booing him,there is a long season ahead and he will be part of the team so let's get behind him and all the Rangers players and manager. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
laudrup11 0 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 He has had a very bad start to the season,and he isn't everyones favourite,but he is a Rangers player and I absolutely hate it when I hear Rangers players getting boos from Rangers fans,and it happens. The guy was stupid and he admits his stupidity so for me no-one should be booing him,there is a long season ahead and he will be part of the team so let's get behind him and all the Rangers players and manager. Well said mate We need to get behind the team for whole season each and every member of the squad 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,416 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Well said mate We need to get behind the team for whole season each and every member of the squad It really does piss me off when I see/hear Rangers fans slaughtering Rangers players,even if the fans doing it think the players deserve it. It's counter productive and does no-one any good. I'm sure he feels he has let down everybody with his actions,but I would hazard a guess that part of the reason he did this was through frustration because of his poor start to the season,kick a man when he's down. You will only ever get the best out of a player when he is confident,if he gets support which he does nearly all the time from the majority of the fans then he will play better,same as every other player. What has happened is gone,move forward. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dutchy Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 And what good does all our disappointments have on the team and any individual player picked out for blame. I don't think it does any good at all and I'm sure Whittaker will come bouncing back and do some really good things this season, from midfield!!! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny 0 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 It really does piss me off when I see/hear Rangers fans slaughtering Rangers players,even if the fans doing it think the players deserve it. It's counter productive and does no-one any good. I'm sure he feels he has let down everybody with his actions,but I would hazard a guess that part of the reason he did this was through frustration because of his poor start to the season,kick a man when he's down. You will only ever get the best out of a player when he is confident,if he gets support which he does nearly all the time from the majority of the fans then he will play better,same as every other player. What has happened is gone,move forward. Do you look only at the positive side of absolutely everything? Is there nothing you feel is your right to criticise? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyk 158 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Ian is just one the few optimists on here, he's a glass half full rather than half empty guy, although the way he drinks they're always empty He does cristicise players at the games believe you me but would always back the team, and club through thick and thin, and IMO we need more of these fans rather than most who go to Ibrox these days, sit on their arses, say nothing and expect a good game or goals galore and only wake up when a goal is scored 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
laudrup11 0 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 It really does piss me off when I see/hear Rangers fans slaughtering Rangers players,even if the fans doing it think the players deserve it. It's counter productive and does no-one any good. I'm sure he feels he has let down everybody with his actions,but I would hazard a guess that part of the reason he did this was through frustration because of his poor start to the season,kick a man when he's down. You will only ever get the best out of a player when he is confident,if he gets support which he does nearly all the time from the majority of the fans then he will play better,same as every other player. What has happened is gone,move forward. I Agree mate as I tried to say yesterday he will have to move on from this and come back a stronger person and player He'll know himself what he did was wrong and wil have to suffer the consequences probably a fine and maybe losing his place for a few weeks, but at end of day he is still a Rangers player and I back anyone who pulls on that jersey and plays for us through good times and the bad 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.