Big Derek Johnstone blames Ibrox players as things go ‘horribly horribly wrong’

Derek Johnstone has can’t get his head round the Ibrox title collapse.

At the end of December the club ambassador was anticipating a title part in which he would have a front row seat cheering on Steven Gerrard’s heroes.

For the last four year big DJ has tipped the Ibrox men to win the title but finally this time around it looked like becoming reality rather than just another dream.

Since January the gap at the top of the SPFL table has stretched from two points to 13, plunging Johnstone and Ibrox fans into the depths of despair as he prepares to watch Celtic celebrate 9-in-a-row for the second time.

In today’s Glasgow Times DJ admits:

Every set of supporters is hard to please but the Rangers fans are a demanding and expectant crowd and when standards are not being met then they won’t be slow in telling you. And rightly so, you can’t blame them.

They have waited a long, long time for a team to look like they can win the title again and on December 29 they thought they had a chance of the Premiership.

Since then, it has gone horribly, horribly wrong and, to be honest, I am struggling to put my finger on just what has happened to this side.

He added:

For me, Hamilton wanted to win that game more than Rangers did. And I would say the same about Hearts at Tynecastle as well. For that to be said about any Rangers side should embarrass every member of that side. That is not Rangers and that attitude can never be tolerated or accepted.

You don’t just turn up and win. Your attitude for Hearts, St Johnstone and Accies has to be the same for Braga, Bayer Leverkusen and Celtic. I have said in the column time after time that you have to win the battle before you can win the war at Rangers. That message just doesn’t seem to be there with some of these players and they have to have a long, hard look at themselves.

Steven is being criticised more severely now than he has ever been at Ibrox. I don’t blame him here, though. I am well aware that when teams aren’t performing then the manager is the first one to go. It is his team, his tactics and ultimately, he carries the can like any boss at any club.

But the players that he has brought to Rangers, that he has put his faith in, owe him big time. They have got Rangers into this situation and they have to get us out of it. I don’t know what has gone wrong for Rangers but I am sure that the players do. They are the ones that need to resolve this situation, and it must happen quickly.

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Johnstone never named a single player in his column.