GLASGOW (AFP)
Rangers manager Ally McCoist slammed his side's defensive display
after watching them scrape a 2-2 draw against part-timers
Peterhead on their third division debut.
The Glasgow giants on Saturday needed a 90th-minute equaliser to
spare their blushes after some poor defending saw them surrender
their first-half lead.
The Rangers 'newco' are overwhelming favourites to stroll to
automatic promotion ahead of their part-time and amateur
opponents in the league after they were demoted to the Third
Division when the old company couldn't be saved from liquidation.
Many had tipped McCoist's men to go through the season without
dropping a point but after a disappointing draw on their debut in
Scotland's lowest tier the manager said his side would have to
improve their defending dramatically.
"I can't tell you how disappointed I am with the way we defended.
I felt we defended appallingly to be honest," McCoist said,
"I wouldn't say they have let me down, they let themselves down
in the way they defended.
"If any of our boys thought this league was a cake-walk and they
just had to turn up to get the three points they know what it is
all about now as that's a big reminder.
"When it's the big team against the wee team the big team doesn't
always win away from home. But, at the same time, I will be very
disappointed if we don't perform better than that.
Despite their demotion to to the fourth tier of Scottish
football, manager McCoist has still managed to attract several
Scottish Premier League players to drop down the divisions and
play for the Ibrox club.
However, they failed to show their quality against a side of
part-time footballers -- who earn a tiny fraction of the big
earners at Rangers -- as the team fielding eight international
players were given a rude awakening to their new life in the
fourth tier.
Teenager Barrie McKay gave Rangers the lead in the 27th minute
when he got on the end of a headed knock-down to fire past Paul
Jarvie.
However, Rory McAllister scored a 64th minute equaliser before
Scott McLaughlin's superb strike put them in front in the 82nd
minute.
With time running out Andrew Little knocked the ball over the
line after substitute Kevin Kyle's header crashed off the
crossbar.
There has been a mass exodus of first team players from Ibrox in
recent weeks and manager McCoist admits he would like to add more
players to his squad before a one-year transfer ban begins in
September.
"The numbers dictate that we really do need boys coming in as,
apart from the boys on the bench, we don't have a lot in
reserve," McCoist said.
"We've lost the best part of 24 or 25 players and we've only
brought five in so we need to get numbers in."
One player who was expected to leave the club was American
international Carlos Bocanegra.
However, the defender admitted he may stay to try and help move
the club back up the leagues.
"Nothing has been decided yet," Bocanegra said. "I am happy at
Rangers and I love the club and everything about it.
"They treat us first class still and it is a massive club around
Europe and they will be back in the SPL soon enough.
"That is the mindset of a lot of players. We want to work hard as
the club has given us a lot so if it works out and everyone stays
we will help them get back up."
