'It never happened when I was winning titles at Rangers' - Neil McCann fires warning to current Ibrox side after Motherwell draw

Former Rangers star Neil McCann has guarded the current side against any complacency in their quest to secure the Scottish Premiership title after the 1-1 draw at Motherwell.

Rangers defender Connor Goldson and his team walk off after the 1-1 draw at Motherwell (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

The result brought an end to Rangers' 15 game winning run, one short of matching the post-war record set by Jock Wallace's side in 1972-73, but the Ibrox outfit remain in a comfortable position at the top of the standings, 21 points clear of Old Firm rivals Celtic, who have three games in hand.

Responding to suggestions that Steven Gerrard’s side might be finding it difficult to maintain their intensity levels, McCann, who won three championships during five years at Ibrox between 1998 and 2003, warned standards cannot be allowed to drop.

"It absolutely shouldn't be an excuse," he told BBC Sportsound. "You've got yourselves into this type of lead, and you think, 'it's okay we can just turn the engine down now and idle towards the finish line'?

"It never ever happened in my time when I was winning titles at Rangers. The group of players I was with were relentless.

"Teams who are hungry and full of desire want to get it done as soon as they can, not just let it drip away and say, 'we've created such a gap and we're just going to amble across the line’. That isn't how champions work.

"They are normally ruthless and totally dismiss the challenge that's coming from behind them by continuing to respect the opponent in their next match, take care of them, go to the next one. Then when you're champions and you want to take the foot off the gas and introduce a few young ones, then you're entitled to do that if you want.

"But generally that should not be accepted in a dressing room. You've got yourself into a place of power, where you're in such a brilliant position within the league, so far ahead, that it should be the continued message spoken about – look this isn't acceptable to come to Fir Park and think we're just going to roll into another point, or just limp over the line.

"Make sure we're doing it in the way that got us here, keep up the habits that got us unbeaten within the league and just continue that form."

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