- Rangers trail Hearts by four points after late Motherwell defeat intensifies title pressure.
- Barry Ferguson demands strong start and reaction in must-win Tynecastle clash.
- Slow starts and defensive issues threaten Rangers’ Premiership title challenge.
Rangers travel to Hearts on Monday evening knowing their Premiership title hopes are on the line, sitting four points behind leaders Hearts with four games remaining.
All while Old Firm rivals Celtic remain one point ahead in second place.
Danny Rohl and his side’s trip to Tynecastle comes just a week after a damaging 3-2 defeat at home to Motherwell.
A match in which Rangers conceded a stoppage-time winner from Emmanuel Longelo after fighting back from 2-0 down at half-time.
The result has intensified scrutiny on Rangers’ inability to start matches strongly, a recurring issue that has undermined their title challenge at a crucial stage of the season.
Slow starts costing Rangers says Barry Ferguson
Former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson was blunt in his assessment of the latest setback, highlighting familiar problems in first-half performances.
Speaking on the Five Stars Podcast he said: “It is a strange one.
“I thought we would have learned a lesson obviously for the Falkirk game.
“The second half against Falkirk was like a different team and we were in three, four hours before the game and the atmosphere was good.
“It was a really poor first half, take nothing away from Motherwell.
“Motherwell were really dominant and good on the counter-attack but I was so disappointed with the first half performance.”
Ferguson stressed the issue of repeated slow starts: “You can’t keep making the same mistake and a couple of goals down because it’s going to come back and bite you at some stage.
“Unfortunately, it has done big time losing all three points.”
Tynecastle demands immediate response
Looking ahead to the clash in Edinburgh, Ferguson made clear there is no room for another sluggish opening.
“It’s win or bust,” he admitted.
“We have to go there, and we need to stamp our authority on the game early doors and make sure Hearts are the team that gets nervous.
“Make sure their fans get nervous, because if we don’t come away with three points then it’s going to be difficult for us.”
Barry Ferguson highlights tactical and mental battle
The discussion also turned to Rangers’ structure in midfield after being overrun at stages against Motherwell.
Elliot Watt and Elijah Just once again showed dominance over a Rangers midfield of Nico Raskin and Tochi Chukwuani.
Ferguson explained: “I just thought we were too easy to play through and when you’ve got three in there it’s a bit harder.
“You need to go down the sides. It was something that he will probably look to change.”
There was agreement that selection and experience may now be key, with changes expected for the trip to Tynecastle.
Another Rangers legend in Ian Durrant summed up the mentality required for the run-in.
He said: “Now it’s simple as that.
“Barry said there’s no room for anything else except wins.
“If we start the game the way we’ve started the last two games, we’ll not win the league. Simple as.”
Read Rangers analysis
With the title race finely balanced, Rangers now face a defining moment in their season.
Victory at Tynecastle would keep them firmly in contention, but anything less would all but end their challenge and leave them reliant on other results.
As Ferguson put it, the message is clear: “We just need to come away from Tynecastle with a win. That’s the basics.”
