McCoist puts himself under the microscope after cup exit

ALLY McCoist has admitted to doubts over whether he was sufficiently persuasive in preparing his players for the shock League Cup elimination they suffered at Falkirk on Wednesday night.

The Rangers manager yesterday questioned the mentality of his team in losing 3-2 to their First Division opponents, just three days after finding their best form of the season so far to beat Celtic 4-2 at Ibrox.

But McCoist is also closely examining his own part in what was his third successive point of entry cup failure since taking charge, following the Champions League and Europa League exits against Malmo and Maribor.

“I’m still looking at that,” said McCoist. “I don’t know whether I was forceful enough. I feel as though I put the message across before the game on Wednesday, because I’ve seen it happen, I knew it was going to happen. But maybe the advice wasn’t taken. Well, it certainly wasn’t taken. So I’ve got to think ‘Why was it not taken?’, and I haven’t really got an answer for that yet. But I’ll continue searching.

“Listen, Wednesday was a big blow. You can say it was just the League Cup, you can say what you like. I don’t care, it was still a big, big blow. It was a really disappointing performance. People have been asking what went wrong. I’ve watched the game again. People ask was there complacency, but I honestly don’t think there was.

“It was a mental thing, to play at the tempo required. It was mind-boggling the contrast Falkirk’s first goal made. It was as if someone had flicked a switch and turned us on. That’s a problem that I’ve got, and the team have got. Why did that happen? But it certainly wasn’t through a lack of respect to the opposition.

“It was undoubtedly a mental thing, because if we can play as we did after losing a goal, then we could play like that right from the start of the game. But we didn’t and that’s why we are out of the cup.”

It is on SPL business where McCoist will ultimately be judged successful or otherwise as a Rangers manager and he returns to the defence of the title today, looking for a positive reaction from his players in the lunchtime kick-off at Dunfermline where victory would stretch their lead over Celtic at the top of the table to seven points for a couple of hours at least.

“Against Dunfermline, our players have got to come out and start the game the way they should start every game,” he said. “Not only at a high tempo, but putting the opposition under pressure.

“I hope they learned from Wednesday, because it’s a really harsh lesson. They key word is ‘lesson’. If they don’t realise after that, none of them will ever realise. Because it was glaringly obvious what the problem was. They know themselves. They went from creating maybe two chances in an hour before Falkirk scored, to creating 14 after it. That’s what wasn’t right in terms of our approach. I can relate to it and I bet every Rangers player who has been here for a period of time can relate to it. It is a natural reaction among footballers across the spectrum. But the footballers who play for Rangers or Celtic have to overcome that problem.

“With the greatest of respect, Falkirk play Morton tomorrow and while I can’t tell Steven Pressley his job, I’d imagine he might have the opposite, or rather the same problem. At clubs outwith the Old Firm, it is okay to play three good games out of five, or maybe three out of six with a couple of alright ones. But that’s not alright here.

“I was absolutely upset on Wednesday night, as was every fan driving home from the game. You just hope every player was too. I know the staff were very uncomfortable with what happened. I’m sure the players would be too. There’s nothing we can about the result now but the one thing we have to do is learn the lesson. If you can take a defeat as a lesson, you must learn from it.”

The concession of five goals in their last two games raises question marks about the Rangers defence but McCoist, who would not confirm an immediate recall for goalkeeper Allan McGregor today after his deputy Neil Alexander blundered at Falkirk’s winner, is not concerned about any trend developing.

“We had a good defensive record before last weekend and I’ve no doubt that will come back again,” he said. “We have too many good defenders, and I include our goalies in that, for it not to come back. It remains to be seen who plays in goal at Dunfermline, I don’t know our team yet.” McCoist also denied Wednesday’s result was an indication of a lack of strength in depth in his squad, having made four changes to the side which beat Celtic. “We brought four full internationals [Neil Alexander, Alejandro Bedoya, Lee McCulloch and David Healy] into the team,” he said, “and if they can’t come into a game like that, then they shouldn’t be playing football. It didn’t say anything about strength in depth, it showed me that we will get punished by anyone if we are not at the top of our game mentally.”

Dunfermline winger Joe Cardle believes Rangers’ defeat on Wednesday showed weaknesses in their rearguard which the Pars can exploit.

“A First Division side scored three against them, so there’s no reason why we can’t do the same,” the 24-year old said. “We need to go out there and be positive, that’s the only way to be. We’re at home, and Falkirk showed in midweek what can be done.

“I know it was only a cup game, but it shows you that anything can happen if you are on form – especially if you are playing on your own patch.”