CARETAKER manager Graeme Murty last night insisted Rangers can still finish second in the Ladbrokes Premiership despite falling six points behind Aberdeen.
Rangers suffered a major setback when they went down 2-1 away to Dundee yesterday, their first Dens Park loss in nearly 25 years, while the Pittodrie side won at Kilmarnock.
Murty admitted the performance was unacceptable but denied his side had scuppered their chances of second place. He said: “There’s a long way to go. If we apply ourselves and hit maximum heights anything can happen. There are more than enough characters in the squad to turn it around. We just need them to come to the fore, grab the game by the scruff of the neck and change the manner of it.”
Rangers are looking to appoint an interim manager to take charge of the team until the end of the campaign, following Mark Warburton’s exit.
Murty, previously in charge of the under-20s, did not feel the upheaval at Ibrox had any bearing on yesterday’s performance or result. He said: “The players can only be in control of their attitude and physicality when they walk on to pitch.
“Today, you saw a team that struggled to turn it around when things went against them. When your confidence takes a knock that can be a symptom. The disruption has nothing to do with players showing the right attitude and commitment. They knew what the game meant and that they would have to battle. For 45 minutes, they didn’t do that.
“The fans have been through the wringer and they deserve better than we gave them.”
Murty praised Paul Hartley’s side, who moved into the top six with the victory, admitting his team had failed to match the hosts’ desire.
“It’s disappointing,” he said. “It’s not really easy to put in to words the emotions myself and the players went through.
“We have to be better than that. It’s not acceptable, we know that and they know that. We’ll take this on the chin. But there’s no doubt, that wasn’t acceptable.
“[Dundee] were particularly aggressive. There was an organisation and they tackled hard. We didn’t match that until half-time.
“Dundee had made the game what they wanted it to be. If you give them 45 minutes and a two-goal head start it’s hard to get back into it.
“It’s incredibly frustrating. I didn’t think we got any control on the game, or managed to disrupt their pattern and shape.
“We didn’t implement the things we wanted to do and we didn’t control the ball and pass it the way we expect them to.”
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