RangersMedia

The Will To Win Monday, 06 February 2012 17:12 Written by JCS

Like most of you, I spent Sunday evening in a state of deep despair.

I finally adjourned to my bedroom to read my book in the hope that it would take my mind of our abysmal display against the Arabs and yet another ignominious cup exit….our fourth this season! I’m reading Orlando Figes’, 'A People’s Tragedy', a superbly descriptive history of the Russian Revolution. Dry and boring I hear you say…certainly not! It’s a tale of determination in the face of adversity; a story of triumph against overwhelming odds, a compelling chronicle of commitment and devotion to a cause. Qualities that we simply do not demonstrate at the moment!

Whilst I accept that an analogy with the current situation at Rangers and the Russian Revolution is, perhaps, a little tenuous, but there are still many similarities. Faced with unimaginable threats; the loss of ‘home and hearth’; imprisonment, exile and death, ordinary people responded by working together to combat those threats; by cooperating with one another to effect change; by bringing together disparate groups to work toward a common goal.

Regrettably, I see very few examples of cooperation and concerted action at Ibrox and Murray Park these days, and little evidence of concerted action to confront the many threats that currently face our famous old club. It seems to me that the oft quoted ‘collaboration’ and ‘excellent working relationship’ between Craig Whyte and Ally McCoist is a very thin façade...a subterfuge behind which both hide in order to conceal a difficult and fraught relationship. Even in light of our ‘straightened’ financial circumstances, I refuse to accept that Craig Whyte could not have released a proportion of the Jelavic transfer fee to enable Ally to conclude a deal for a quality replacement.

It will be a while before the image of Ally, emerging from Ibrox following his late evening meeting with Craig Whyte and Ally Russell, fades from my memory……an image of a frustrated and demoralised manager having just been told to ‘make do’ with what he has. We all know that ‘what he has’ is inadequate. Yes, he may be responsible for some ‘dodgy’ signings, but he is not responsible for the sale of Jelavic in circumstances where we clearly had no adequate replacement.

I don’t like the old adage, ‘You must speculate to accumulate’, but in our current predicament there is no clearer example of its applicability. Yesterday’s result is all the evidence we need. We could have played another 90 minutes and we would not have scored a goal! Not even the most ardent Rangers supporter would disagree that it was a substandard, utterly lacklustre and unacceptable display against a team, sitting 7th in the SPL and 31points behind us, who were quicker, sharper and better in every department.

Whilst our financial situation is dire, and our squad is threadbare, we still have the quality to put up a better performance than we did yesterday….others can do it, so why can’t we?

We do, of course, have a comparator in the SPL - Hearts.

They are in quite severe financial difficulties, and the problems their players are having trying to ensure that their wages are paid each month have been well publicised and, indeed, the subject of an inquiry by the SPL. Yet, watch their performances on the park; they are as committed and enthusiastic as ever; as combative and aggressive as they always are against us! Indeed, their much discussed difficulties seem to energise them, whereas we simply appear to 'throw in the towel'. It's simply not enough to say that our financial and other problems are affecting team morale. Other teams seem to cope with these problems and get on with it, yet we are not motivated; we look listless and lethargic and, often appear to be disinterested.

Is that a consequence of our current financial plight or a more profound malaise?

When you’re with your friends and fellow Gers fans in your ‘local’ or your favourite match day club after a game, how often do you hear people say that no one ‘plays for the shirt’ anymore, or they have ‘no pride’ and ‘no heart’. Similarly, how often have you heard the statement, ‘There’s no will to win’. All of these things are intangible, but we ALL know what they mean!

When I was talking to my mates after the game on Sunday, every one of those ‘old adages’ was trotted out and, as I listened in to similar conversations and ‘post mortems’ elsewhere in the pub I would hear the same thing over and over again. No one believed that we had the ‘will to win’ on Sunday and, in truth, that ‘will to win’ has been noticeably absent on too many occasions this season. However, even accounting for our current ‘difficulties’, no one will persuade me that we are an inferior team to Dundee United, Hearts, St Mirren and Kilmarnock, yet we have struggled badly against all of those sides this season.

Nowadays it is imperative that the manager ‘inspires’ his players; must ‘motivate’ them; must enthuse, invigorate and enliven them each week! If he doesn’t, they seem incapable of performing! Why is that?

Rangers Football Club is an institution with a long and illustrious history, and it should be an honour and a privilege to play for such a great club. To don the famous blue jersey and run out onto the hallowed turf of Ibrox each week was my childhood dream and, I suspect, was for most of you as well. But, clearly that doesn’t appear to ‘galvanise’ our players any more…….it doesn’t seem to ‘cut any ice’ these days!

Is the ‘Will to Win’ now contingent upon the ‘inspirational’ qualities of the manager or, more worryingly perhaps, subordinate to the need to offer the players financial and other incentives?

I’m afraid I can’t offer you an answer, but I can tell you, and I’m sure you will agree - that we don’t seem to have the Will to Win any more!