The former player is back at Rangers as a coach until the end of the season.
Neil McCann is back in at Rangers – and he now has the chance to act on a major red flag he’s spotted.
The former attacker is back at the club where he made himself a hero between 1998-2003 with three league titles and eight major trophies overall. He is part of the coaching staff headed up by Barry Ferguson that will lead the Premiership side until the end of the season, starting with Kilmarnock away on Wednesday night.
Speaking on Sportscene on Saturday night after a dismal 2-0 loss against St Mirren, the ex-player ripped through their play in posession, with Clinton Nsiala, Nico Raskin and James Tavernier in particular pointed out. McCann was left feeling goalkeeper Jack Butland was left helpless at times with how passive Rangers were.
He responded on Sportscene when asked if nervousness was a concern for Rangers: “That’s a huge concern but listen you can talk about nerves right, I’m sorry this is negative and this has got to come from the manager. That ball should be thrown up the line and keep St Mirren in, this negative throw back from Jefte allows St Mirren to do that aggressive press. Now Nsiala must find Raskin, he’s asking for it but demand it.
“I want the ball there because Phillips is taking himself out the game then it’s a roll back to Jack Butland, he there rolls it back to Nsiala, take it and the first pass is can I roll it to Jefte then it’ll drag Phillips. It opens up the game, you’ve got options or step in. He doesn’t, he takes the third option which rolls it into Raskin. What has Jack Butland got on here?
“Now you have to work on these things, see if you’re going to play out from the back you have to find solutions, you have to work on what ifs, so if this team does this you need to move this way. He’s got nothing on though. Nsiala, just drag it back with your foot son, trust yourself and look forward, don’t look negatively.
“Raskin must break his neck to get in there, there’s a pass into feet, out the other side to Propper, again Jack Butland under pressure, too casual, takes a touch back across him and then the pounce is on, again. Propper, poor ball from Tavernier, it just bounces, make a break out, open the game up, again nothing, a half-hearted movement.
“I feel at Rangers over the last few games, really bad defeat against Queen’s Park at home, they went to Tynecastle and they looked flat, they looked a lack of spark. I don’t think it’s nerves, I think that’s got to be demanded from the side, that’s got to be put into the players and making sure that the nerves shouldn’t take place at Ibrox, it should be the other team that has nerves, this is Rangers we’re talking about and they’ve got really good players there so there’s something not firing and it needs to be addressed soon.”
