Scottish Cup: Excuses have now run out for Rangers, says Trevor Steven

IF anyone from the pantheon of fine Rangers players of recent decades should know about the perils of treating Berwick Rangers lightly, it is Trevor Steven.

The former England international midfielder was born in Berwick-upon-Tweed and appreciated the fight put up by the home side against Rangers at Shielfield Park on Sunday. But the man who enjoyed two spells at Ibrox was adamant Rangers’ unimpressive performance in the 1-1 draw was the last straw.

“Whatever their excuses were, there are now no more excuses,” said Steven. “They have got to go out and put in the performances that the supporters demand and the club demands.”

The club’s away form just has to improve, said Steven, who was taking part in the William Hill Scottish Cup second round draw along with SFA President Campbell Ogilvie – and yes, they gave Rangers a 382-mile round trip to play Forres Mechanics. “I played at a lot of grounds through cup ties both in England and Scotland,” said Steven. “It is not something I would like to be doing week in and week out, but it is what it is for Rangers squad and the club.

“That’s the reality and the sooner the better that all the players are reacting to that. A lot of new players have come in to the squad who are getting used to the demands of being a Rangers player and the demands of these away matches and cup ties that they’re going to be faced with. It’s not easy for them but let’s be honest, they have got Ibrox to play at every fortnight so that’s not much of a chore, is it really? It’s just new surroundings, and whether you play for Rangers or for Celtic, supporters want you to win, and you have to keep on winning.

“Sometimes that takes a certain mentality in an individual, while others will grow into it, and I think just now some of the players need to grow into that winning mentality, while maybe one or two of the older players have not played to their best form as yet, but have proven in the past that they can be winners at Rangers. So it’s a mixture of things really and I think that’s what Sunday’s performance was down to.

He feels for his old playing colleague, manager Ally McCoist: “Ally’s having to make decisions pretty quickly and that’s probably one of the issues. He’s got to take a risk or two, believe in what he knows about a certain player, and then put the pressure on that player to produce. “It’s a great opportunity for anyone to play at Rangers and these players are coming because they know the potential, but that’s all for the future and the here and now is winning tough football matches.

“That’s the manager’s job, he has to make those decisions and the proof will be in the pudding of the results. I think they’ll win the league and their home from will carry them a long, long way, but the performances need to be better away from home. If they can boost those performances, and certainly Sunday’s performance, by a good percentage then they will not have any problems.”

Highland League champions Forres Mechanics have been given very long odds to beat Rangers – sponsors William Hill make them 18-1 to knock out the club which has won the Cup 33 times and beat the Mechanics 6-0 in the only match played between the two clubs – a friendly back in 1908. Mosset Park in Forres holds only 1,400, nearly all of it in standing areas. Last night it was being speculated that the tie might be moved to a larger venue.