THE explanation given by Rangers manager Walter Smith to account for the switch of goalkeeper for yesterday's win over Motherwell has provided the ousted Allan McGregor with some comfort.
Smith gave Neil Alexander his first start of the season, and dropped McGregor to the bench. The decision raised eyebrows, although it comes in the aftermath of a mistake by McGregor which gifted Kilmarnock their opening goal in last Saturday's 2-1 vi
ctory over the Rugby Park side. Alexander, who excelled when deputising for the injured McGregor in the closing weeks of last season, again performed well yesterday but must wait to find out whether he keeps his place for Wednesday's Co-Operative Insurance Cup third-round clash with Partick Thistle.
Smith did not give anything away yesterday, and simply put yesterday's change down to a need to keep his players alert.
"We have got a big pool of players, and have to show everyone that they have to be at the top of their game," he said. "Allan had an exceptional season last season, until the latter stages when he was injured. I just feel that at times I have to use the pool of players.
"It's not just Allan, but I have to try and keep everyone on their guard. We don't have the number of games that we did last season, and it is up to every player to keep himself as sharp as possible."
Alexander helped Rangers claim the full amount of points on offer when he pushed a David Clarkson effort round his post after 68 minutes, but was later beaten by the same player to set up a nervous end to the match for the home side. Smith lamented his team's current inability to finish off their opponents.
"After we got our noses in front we faced a situation which we did not handle very well, as against Kilmarnock," he said. "It's something we have to work on. We worked hard to get in front but in two successive weeks we have allowed Kilmarnock and now Motherwell back into the game."
Given that Motherwell were still in a position to claim something from the match in the final minutes, Smith was surprised to hear that Mark McGhee, his opposite number, had described his team's performance as the worst during his tenure at Fir Park. McGhee branded his team's display an "embarrassment", and refused to accept the midweek trip to Nancy in the Uefa Cup as an excuse for the lack of ambition shown by his side.
"I am surprised we did score in the end, because we looked like we might be there all night," he said. "I feel it is the worst performance we have had since I have been at the football club. We were inert in every department, and our three strikers, two of whom are over 6ft 2in, never won a ball in the air. I have never felt so disappointed since I have been at the club. Not a single per cent of it was caused by Thursday night," he said.
"At half-time we hadn't started, and it was still 0-0. You are only as good as your strikers, and our strikers didn't turn up."
John Sutton was the first to face the consequences for a below-par showing, and was substituted after 53 minutes. His replacement, Jamie Murphy, was one of the few to gain pass marks from McGhee, who revealed he had been so excited by the trip to Ibrox with a team he felt could cause Rangers significant problems that he was on the phone with Scott Leitch, his assistant manager, at 7am yesterday morning.
"I don't care if it is against Rangers, they should be embarrassed about coming here to play like that," added McGhee.
The full article contains 643 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
