Furious Ally McCoist admits Rangers matches are becoming increasingly challenging to commentate on as he launched a scathing attack on their faltering players.
Danny Rohl endured a torrid beginning to his Rangers reign as a 3-0 thrashing away to Brann left the Glasgow giants rooted to the bottom of the Europa League standings. However, McCoist acknowledges he feels sympathy for the German manager – and admits he can’t fathom how their new gaffer will guide the struggling stars up the Scottish Premiership, let alone secure European progress.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he delivered a brutal assessment of the players’ performance during the woeful showing in Norway: “Last night is probably as depressed as I have been during this whole debacle, because I actually feel for the manager.
“I don’t know what he’s going to do. He might improve them in terms of a little bit of organisation – set-plays, you can do all that, bits and pieces, but I do not think there is anywhere near the level of improvement in that team that will even be required to get them up the league domestically, to tell you the gospel truth.
“There are just absolutely miles off it. They are getting outfought, outrun, outmuscled – I mean, it’s actually very sad to watch.”
McCoist then targeted the appalling defensive statistics in recent campaigns: “You just look at the goals that were conceded,” he went on.
“They are in many ways synonymous with the situation at this moment in time – they were laughable the goals. Have a listen to this – they haven’t kept a clean sheet in 24 away games.
“That is actually difficult to achieve, that is unbelievable. You look at the team, they weren’t great last year, but they have actually gone back the way after spending the best part of £25million or whatever it is. It’s really concerning.”
The Ibrox legend has been vocal in his criticism regarding their summer transfer activity – with sporting director Kevin Thelwell’s decision to sign Youssef Chermiti from Everton for a £8million coming under McCoist’s scrutiny.
He added: “I keep going on about the recruitment, but the recruitment has been absolutely hopeless. You can name individuals but it’s probably not worth doing that – but you look at it collectively in the past however many years it’s been, has been shocking.
“I’m looking at the boys that left in the summer – you have got rid of (Cyriel) Dessers – who wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea but he scores over 20 goals – you have got rid of (Vaclav) Cerny, (Hamza) Igamane who scores two goals for Lille last night – you have lost the best part of 60-65 goals out your team and you have not replaced them.
“You brought a big young lad in there (Youssef Chermiti), God help him, I genuinely hope he goes on to score 100 goals for the Rangers, but he just looks miles off it – it’s shame for him, actually, watching it. He played 300-odd minutes for Everton in two years and you pay £8million for him – holy moly guacamole, that’s remarkable.”
When challenged by presenter Alan Brazil regarding leadership issues following James Tavernier’s explosive outburst, McCoist delivered a scathing assessment of the dressing room dynamics – branding the squad as appearing like “look like a group of wee boys with no direction.”
He concluded: “It’s really difficult to commentate on the games. I know we all have a laugh and we have got to keep our sense of humour, but it’s difficult to commentate on the games because you have got to be brutally honest.
“And the fact of the matter is, I’m watching Rangers now and it looks like a group of wee boys. That is a terrible thing to say, but it looks like a group of wee boys with no real direction and no real level of commitment to match the opposition.
“And the one thing the fans deserve – certainly the travelling fans – is a level of commitment and desire and they are not getting that in any great degree.
“In the very short period the manager has been here I think he sounds really well, he has conducted himself well and sounds good in his interviews. But I really feel for him, I don’t know what he is going to do.”