- Ian Durrant questions whether Rangers players are showing enough fight and emotional response.
- Durrant calls for stronger dressing room leadership and higher daily standards at Ibrox.
- Nine-in-a-row hero compares current squad mentality with title-winning eras under previous managers.
Ian Durrant has warned Rangers must rediscover their “DNA” and elite standards if they are to close the gap at the top of Scottish football, stressing that mentality inside the dressing room is as important as recruitment this summer.
Speaking on the Five Stars Podcast, the former Rangers midfielder reflected on the club’s recent inconsistencies and highlighted a cultural shift he believes is required to restore sustained success at Ibrox.
“The thing I hate to say, I don’t see the players hurting,” Durrant said.
“If we lost a game, it was a disaster.”
Ian Durrant on Rangers “DNA”
Durrant contrasted the current environment with the standards of previous successful Rangers eras, pointing to the relentless demand for reaction after setbacks as a defining feature of successful teams.
“I remember under Walter [Smith], we lost three games in a row but then we go on a run,” he added.
“But we never lost that desire of winning, because it was ingrained in us.”
He stressed that Rangers’ identity has historically been built on resilience, emotional accountability, and a collective refusal to accept mediocrity.
“That was the philosophy – no one likes us, we don’t care,” Durrant explained.
“That was the sort of mindset that was ingrained in us.
“That’s was our Ibrox. Now if you’re going to come here, they’re going to have to play well. Then you had Terry Butcher, England captain, [Davie] Cooper, they’d die for it.”
Lack of leadership across the squad
The former midfielder also emphasised the importance of dressing room leadership, noting that successful Rangers teams were often self-policing environments where senior players set the tone.
“If you weren’t doing your job, you were told,” he said.
“Not by the manager, but by the players.”
Durrant believes that structure and internal accountability must return if Rangers are to re-establish dominance domestically, particularly as the club prepares for another summer of change.
“Now you need players who can handle it,” he continued.
“It’s a big club, big demands, big expectations.”
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With recruitment and squad reshaping expected at Ibrox, Durrant’s stressed that at Ibrox, technical quality alone is not enough.
The mentality to endure pressure, respond to setbacks, and maintain standards daily is non-negotiable.
As Rangers look ahead to the next cycle, the nine-in-a-row hero insists the foundation already exists, but must be matched by a renewed edge within the dressing room.
He believes the current crop need to show they have what it takes – starting today away to Falkirk.
