US pundits urge 49ers to make rapid Rangers apology after new low rivalling administration sparks a filleting
Rangers are coming under fire on all sides
A US-based football show have been left picking Rangers apart after their latest disappointment under Russell Martin - urging the 49ers and Andrew Cavenagh to send an apology.
Former Celtic striker Oh sealed a 1-0 win for Belgian side Genk at Ibrox in the Light Blues’ first league phase game in the Europa League. Thousands of empty seats were spotted at Ibrox as fan anger with the head coach grows, after protests against him continuing in post prior to the weekend win versus Hibs on Premier Sports Cup duty. Rangers sit 11th in the Premiership ahead of a trip to Livingston, amid early turbulence under new owners 49ers Enterprises and Andrew Cavenagh.
They have turned the centre of debate on US-based CBS Sports’ The Golazo Show’, where ex-American international Charlie Davies and former Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker have picked them apart. Reo-Coker was asked whether this was as low as Rangers have been since administration in 2012 that prompted relegation to the lower leagues.
Is Rangers current form on par with administration?
Reo-Coker brutally responded: “I believe so. I mean, sometimes you can look at it and say, yes, the result plays a part but sometimes you have to look beyond the result. Rangers right now are not even getting the results and the performances are not getting better. There is no identity. They want to play out the back, sometimes they're not getting the results. The players look like they have no idea what they're doing, so for me, it's an absolute mess.
“I think that the ownership probably would have to really put their hands up to say, we made the wrong decision and you have to move on from it. Because this is this for me seems like it's only going to get worse. It's hard to see any more road left for him. He's hanging on by a thread. Like we said, a club of Rangers stature should not lose to Genk. And yes, they did play with 10 men and they showed a bit more fighting character towards the second half, trying to get back into it, but it should not be the cause.
“They should have done that from the start and we didn't see it. Genk actually had the better chances when it was all square, 11 v 11 in the game. So it's hard to really take any positivity from this game, anything positive from a Rangers perspective. I think he's hanging on by a thread.”
How bad is Rangers situation under Russell Martin?
Davies said there’s not any evidence they will get near Celtic with this side, adding: “It's almost as if they got better playing with 10 men because they had to play with this intensity and it was for the fans. You could tell there's no identity with the squad. There's not a good philosophy with the squad. If there's ever a moment to move on from a manager at such an early tenure, it's now.
“It's real simple to see when you watch a team play and you take away the results. Are you seeing exciting passages of play? Are you seeing certain roles that players have made their own? You say, man, this team really gives us hope that they can challenge Celtic or they're moving in the right direction.
“That there's progress from the, we're just going to play on the counterattack and rely on set pieces, which they did last year and they did it well. But this is just a disaster all around.”