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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Robbie Hanratty & Will Lancaster

Ally McCoist in 'disastrous' Rangers blast as pundits pull no punches in their Champions League verdicts

Once again, Rangers put in yet another underwhelming performance on the continental stage as they lost 3-1 to Ajax at Ibrox - leaving them with zero points and the 'worst team' to ever grace the Champions League group stages.

Goals from Steven Berghuis and Mohammed Kudus had Rangers fans slumping in their seats and jeering the Light Blues at half time as the visitors went into the lead with a deserved 2-0 lead.

A James Tavernier penalty set up a grandstand finish - though that was made irrelevant just 44 seconds after the restart when Chico Conceicao restored the advantage with a well-taken counter attack to leave Rangers on -20 goal difference and zero points - beating Dinamo Zagreb's Champions League record of -19 with the Portugal starlet's strike being the difference.

Fans weren't happy as they streamed out of the ground in their thousands - and here's what the pundits said after a dismal night at Ibrox.

Kenny Miller

"Yeah again, it comes from another poor decision. You're hitting an across the box pass for another good chance for Bergwijn - what a player he is.

"Powerful, pacey and it's a top top save from Alan McGregor actually. It could have been a lot worse.

"I think in the first half, and that's what James [Tavernier] is getting at, is that they maybe just had too much respect, but they set off and they made poor decisions defensively.

"When you look back at these chances it could have been a few more, particularly in that first half."

Ally McCoist

"I'll be honest with you, I don't know whether it (Ajax's first goal) is a brilliant finish, but that is defensively shocking. The full back is caught on the inside AGAIN.

"You have to give yourself half a yard, and if it goes short you go and match him.

"If you get caught on the inside, you get caught chasing your tail. And I don't know what Leon King is thinking about. Does he think it's going by the post? That he can stick out a leg? That the goalkeeper has got it? It's just a disastrous goal to lose, to tell you the truth."

Richard Foster

"It's all 'could've been' or 'might have done this' if they scored this chance, but let's be honest even tonight in the second half, Ajax were playing in second gear. I don't think they really tried to go forward or try too much to score more goals, which is probably a blessing in disguise for Rangers because albeit they have got that horrible record anyway, it could have been a lot worse for them.

"Apart from that spell in the second half, they couldn't get near Ajax. I don't know whether that's the shape they set up on that didn't allow them to press very well. I don't think it helped them only having Steve Davis in midfield as Arfield or Tillman aren't good enough or even want to sit in midfield, and they were overrun there.

"The team that I watched play the Europa League final, it's night and day. It's an incredible difference in terms of intensity and quality. They looked lost on the pitch. Ajax could have scored at any point they went forward tonight. Every time they went forward, Rangers looked vulnerable and that is the story of their Champions League campaign."

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