THAT MONDAY MORNING FEELING - COVENTRY CITY IN DISGUISE?

Last updated : 06 November 2006 By Little Boy Blue
Change for the sake of it has never appealed to me, especially where team colours are concerned, so it has always bothered me to see Rangers turn out at places like Fir Park in lilac shirts, in red at Easter Road, in white at Pittodrie, or in that sky blue monstrosity we wore at Tannadice on Sunday.  And not content to be kitted out like Coventry City, our lot decided they had to play like Coventry City too!
 
Even with my most pessimistic head on, there was no way I could see us losing this game.  Sure, Dundee United have a habit of upsetting Rangers but, having won just once previously this season, even with a new man in charge there was no danger of them getting a lift at our expense.  Eh?
 
My only worry was at half-time when, although we'd totally dominated the first half, the scoresheet was still blank and I was concerned that, if United scored first, we wouldn't have the time to peg them back.  So when Charlie Adam fired us in front not long after the restart, I sat back and expected us to kill the game with another goal, then maybe go on to add a couple more just for the hell of it.
 
But of course this Rangers team is incapable of killing off opponents and, ever fragile at the back, we can count on nothing until the final whistle sounds.  So a free header inside the six yard box and another close range header which exposed the non-existence of our marking buggered up another weekend and, as one who was staying on in the Dundee area for a few days, I've been more than a wee bit red-faced.
 
Our players seem to be immune to the embarrassment they are inflicting on us.  I wish they could have been with me in a couple of pubs in Broughty Ferry or later in the Letham Hotel when it was Let's All Laugh At Rangers night.  God, I wish I had a quid for every time some smart-arsed United fan asked: "Can we play you guys every week?"
 
They are in for a rude awakening for I can't see them playing too many teams as toothless as Rangers were this weekend.  We were fine knocking the ball about in midfield, probably because United were content to back off and let us showboat in an area where we could do no damage, but once we got close to the box it was tippy-tappy here and there, no killer pass, no fierce shot, no feckin danger.
 
And the most worrying factor of all is that that was no one-of.  This sloppy stuff has become the norm, with the odd good show sticking out a mile because it is so rare.  So what are you going to do about it Monsieur Le Guen?
 
I know the buck stops with him but the players have really got to take a long hard look at themselves.  All too often they have allowed themselves to be hustled out of a game by opponents who can only dream of having their ability.  I genuinely believe it is the simple lack of the work ethic which is letting us down and sooner or later Le Gaffer has got to start kicking arses.  And if that doesn't work, the guilty parties should spend their weekends sitting in the stands with us.  Maybe then they'll realise how bad things are.
 
After the game, we were in a boozer watching Chelsea lose after going in front and one loudmouth couldn't resist having a wee dig.  "Hey, its just like watching the Rangers," he gloated.
 
I wish.
 
LITTLE BOY BLUE