Graeme Murty: Rangers players must restore fans' belief

Graeme Murty has challenged Rangers to hit the heights and win back the trust of the Ibrox faithful.

The Gers boss admits the Light Blues support are right to ask questions after their latest slip up.

Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Motherwell was the third game running in which they have failed to win after back-to-back defeats against Celtic and Kilmarnock.

Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw with Motherwell in their last match, making it three league games without a win. Picture: SNS

Rangers had to fight back after the break at Fir Park to rescue a point but Murty remains angry about just how far his side fell from their best during a shambolic opening 45 minutes.

Speaking to RangersTV, he said: “The frustration for me is that the players can do it and they just didn’t get to the required level in the first-half.

“I know how good these guys can be, I see them train every day and I see their top level and what they are capable of.

“The frustration for me doesn’t come from seeing the first half and then the second half, it comes from seeing how far off what we deem acceptable.

Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw with Motherwell in their last match, making it three league games without a win. Picture: SNS

“It is important to restore some belief to the fans to be perfectly honest.

“We have had three games - we lose to Celtic in a game we could have won in an amazing atmosphere, then we go into a game where everything is flat against Kilmarnock, ourselves, the noise.

“Everything wasn’t as the week before which is possibly a little understandable. Then we played properly for 45 minutes and showed the fans how good the players are.

“But those lingering questions and doubts will be there, understandably so. What we need to do is put some belief back into the fans that this team are capable of playing at a sustained high level - as we were starting to do.

“We need to get back to that and show the fans, this is what the team are about. Unless we do that questions will remain.”

Gers welcomed back Graham Dorrans against Well after a five-month injury lay-off and Ross McCrorie could be next to report back for duty.

“That is great for me, it is great for the team to have a bit of competition but it is particularly great to have the tactical flexibility to say, ‘right we’re going to completely change the shape or try a different game plan’,” said Murty.

“We haven’t necessarily had that enough since I’ve been here.

“In terms of doing that I still say that regardless of personnel, game plan, structure or shape, a lot of it still comes down to the intensity and mind-set of the players.”

Meanwhile, Murty has confirmed skipper Lee Wallace could return to training this week after suffering a set-back on his return from a groin injury, while defender David Bates is also in line for a comeback before the end of the season following the ankle injury he suffered in last month’s Old Firm defeat.