Rangers served up a Rugby Park embarrassment as a woeful performance set up a Kilmarnock late show on a disastrous Scottish Premiership afternoon.
Rangers were incredibly lacklustre throughout and lacked creativity, ambition and quality in the final third, with the pressure ramping up on Philippe Clement after the 1-0 defeat.
The Gers’ performances all season long have lacked impetus and direction with the Ibrox side punished for their indecision and lack of intensity with a late Marley Watkins goal.
The result also means that the Gers finish the Scottish Premiership weekend six points behind league leaders Celtic and Aberdeen following their 2-2 draw in Glasgow.
Here’s how the Rangers team rated on a disastrous afternoon in Ayrshire.
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Rangers player ratings v Kilmarnock
Jack Butland – 4/10
Almost sold the jerseys in the opening stages when he mishandled an innocuous bobble into the box before recovering.
Caught out in no-man’s land for the goal as Watkins’ weak effort trickled past him.
James Tavernier – 5/10
One of Rangers’ more promising players on the day, Tavernier huffed and puffed but struggled to create the opening which would prove decisive.
Whipped a cross across the box in the first half and almost scored from a corner, but the Rangers captain has lost his engine and his sheen.
John Souttar – 4/10
Had a sterling international break with an impressive double performance with Scotland but after mastering Cristiano Ronaldo, John Souttar toiled v Kyle Vassell.
Bullied and outsmarted by Marley Watkins for the goal, a disastrous moment for Souttar on the rare occasion the defence was actually tested.
Robin Propper – 5/10
Still appears to be waiting for furniture to arrive from IKEA, given Robin Propper continues to look out of place and out of ideas at the back.
Plays at 2mph and was lucky not to leave the defence exposed after a calamitous long-range effort at goal in the first-half. Went off crocked to add insult to injury.
Jefte – 6/10
Rangers’ best performer by some distance and yet Jefte still had a few horror moments on a disastrous afternoon at Rugby Park.
Was the most creative outlet for Rangers throughout but after almost gifting a goal to Matty Kennedy in the second half, suddenly lost the ability to control the ball.
Connor Barron – N/A
Was he playing? Pedestrian performance, hooked on the hour mark.
Mohamed Diomande – 3/10
For the guts of £5m, Rangers fans are expecting much more of Mohamed Diomande who struggles to impose himself on games in Scotland.
Has technique, apparently has quality, but once again a match just passed him by as Diomande struggled to create anything or have any kind of meaningful impact on the game.
Tom Lawrence – 3/10
A Rangers match winner in recent weeks, there is big expectation on Tom Lawrence who continues to polarise frustrated Gers fans.
An abysmal afternoon was summed up by Rangers’ abject lack of creativity and Tom Lawrence was front and centre. At least he was up for a scrap!
Vaclav Cerny – 3/10
Vaclav Cerny is the kind of player who misplaces one pass and suddenly disappears into his shell. Major questions over whether he has the guts to play for Rangers.
Another abject creative display, Cerny cannot cope with the physicality of the game in Scotland and but for a stinging first half shot, offered next to absolutely nothing.
Cyriel Dessers – 2/10
If you are going to wear the number nine jersey at Rangers, you will have to bear its burden. From the first kick of the ball at Rugby Park, we saw this performance coming.
Not good enough to lead the Rangers frontline, a wasteful striker who consistently makes the wrong decision, there’s an increasing feeling the club is doomed with the Nigerian occupying the jersey.
Nedim Bajrami – 4/10
Played twice for Albania on international break and is still settling into Rangers, but Bajrami was anonymous and at times wasteful for the club this afternoon.
Showed some nice touches but anything Nedim Bajrami did rarely translated into success. Still has everything to prove and back to square one with the fans.
Substitutions:
Leon Balogun – 4/10
Suitably uncertain and nervous introduction for the experienced defender who quite clearly has PTSD from similar results. Played like he saw it coming.
Nicolas Raskin – 6/10
Slightly more positive than Connor Barron and at least put his foot on the ball and looked to play forward. Shame the quality was sorely lacking.
Hamza Igamane – 4/10
Showed ingenuity but utterly ridiculous that Igamane was asked to lead the line against Kilmarnock’s physicality. Drifted out wide as a result and we effectively had no number nine on the pitch.
Almost scored, should’ve passed.
Kieran Dowell – N/A
Fashioned a decent chance for Igamane. Has there ever been a more pointless player at Rangers?
Neraysho Kasanwirjo – N/A
Utterly hopeless and wasted possession almost every time he got the ball. Came on in a bad mood.
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