Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland didn’t hold back following his side’s 2–2 draw with Dundee United at Ibrox, admitting anger and frustration at another collapse that summed up the team’s faltering season.
The England international cut an exasperated figure as he fronted the media after full-time, delivering a blunt assessment of Rangers’ mentality and standards.
“Anger, to be honest,” Butland said. “A story that we’ve seen a lot and a feeling that we’ve felt a lot. To go from a strong first half to what happened between 1–0 and 2–1 down.
“I’d love to know what goes through half the lads’ heads at times. It’s nowhere near good enough.”
The goalkeeper said that while Rangers produced some exciting football in the first half, the lack of desire and organisation after the break was unacceptable: “That should have been a 1–0, worst case scenario,” he continued.
“Bodies on the line, if it gets scrappy, so what? Come away with the three points.
“But we’re not showing that we have enough of that, and that’s what this club needs, first and foremost.”
When asked whether certain players failed to understand what it means to play for Rangers, Butland stopped short of singling anyone out, but made his point clear.
“Everyone’s here for a reason, but maybe some still have to grasp that. It’s a requirement at this club to give 110 per cent, whether the quality’s there or not.
“The desire not to lose, not to concede - it has to be there all the time.”
Butland admitted the last week had been difficult amid managerial uncertainty, but refused to use it as an excuse.
“It’s not an excuse after a first half like that,” he said. “The staff made things simple for us. For 45 minutes we delivered, then dropped off again.
“Whoever’s in charge, it can’t keep happening. We have to show what the fans expect… for 90 minutes.”
Butland finished by urging teammates to meet the challenge head-on, stressing that the players, not the fans or staff, must fix the team’s mentality.
“This is a difficult time,” he said. “But when things are great here, there’s nowhere better.
You stick your chest out, get on with it and do the best you can, that’s all the supporters ask for.”