Gerrard unhappy with Rangers players for easing off in second half

Posted Thursday, February 28, 2019 by PA

Steven Gerrard hailed Rangers for their dazzling first 45 minutes against Dundee and then criticised his players for their failure to put on a show in the second half.

The Light Blues had the game won within eight minutes as Glen Kamara returned to haunt his old side with the opener before James Tavernier struck the second.

Alfredo Morelos grabbed his 28th goal of the season midway through the first period but the Ibrox faithful were then made to wait until the 89th minute before substitute Jermain Defoe added the final goal in a 4-0 triumph.

Gerrard was thrilled by what he saw in the opening half as the Ibrox side, powered by the midfield energy of Kamara, Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack, swarmed all over Jim McIntyre’s strugglers.

But what he witnessed after the break left the Gers boss frustrated.

He said: “We did the job in the first 30 minutes when we were excellent, playing with intensity and hunting the ball down.

“We got the job done early but then in the second half we completely dropped our standards and didn’t look like Rangers individually or collectively.

“We got sloppy, kept making mistakes all over the pitch and the second half wasn’t enjoyable for me. I don’t think we really entertained the fans in the second half. Thankfully Jermain Defoe made me feel a little bit better.

“It’s frustrating because top teams have standards which they never really let slip.

“If you compare the first half to the second, it’s completely different. We were outstanding for certainly half an hour. In the second half, I didn’t really recognise us.”

Gerrard took Kamara and Jack aside at the full-time whistle to ram home the message he expects the pair to demand more of their team-mates.

“It was just a bit of coaching and advice for those two,” he explained.

“They are in the middle of the pitch, they are the two conductors and they should be controlling the rhythm of the game.

“If they want to become top leaders and keep improving, they should be going for people in the second half because you can’t let that amount of people in your team let their standards drop.

“I thought Glen and Ryan’s standards didn’t drop, they were probably the only two. The advice is that when they smell that in future, go for a few people and rattle some cages because it’s not acceptable.”

Dundee remain second from the bottom of the bottom but are three points behind Hamilton after Accies’ win at Aberdeen.

McIntyre said: “To give away a goal in the fourth minute from a free-kick was just schoolboy from us.

“After that, I thought Rangers’ movement was sensational, they fed off our mistakes. All in all, it wasn’t a good night for us.”