WE are only two games into the new season and Ally McCoist and his players find themselves under a lot of pressure already.

Matches against Hibernian and Hearts weren't the easiest to start the campaign, but there are concerns that the fans have picked up on and they have made their feelings known.

Rangers go into the game at Falkirk tomorrow night not just needing a win but needing a much-improved performance.

There needs to be a change in the team and the way they are playing. The players have to roll their sleeves up, work harder, get more tackles in and certainly be better in the final third.

The boss has come in for a lot of stick over the last few days and the players have had their share of the criticism as well.

I couldn't believe that Nicky Law got booed when he was named as man of the match at the weekend.

He didn't choose himself for the award. He is going out to try and do his best, and he scored a good goal just after the announcement.

For the Rangers fans to jeer him, I don't think it was the cleverest move. It won't do his confidence any good.

But if he did make a gesture after he scored, he shouldn't have done that. Things are bad enough without players getting involved with fans.

At a time when Rangers need everyone pulling in the one direction, they can be doing without that.

I can understand the fans being frustrated. I am frustrated, the manager and the players will be frustrated.

But the more stick that gets dished out, the more into their shells they will go.

Fans need them to do the opposite and be brave and confident if they are to perform like they need them to. To do that, they need their support.

Rangers fans have been fantastic through everything that has gone on at the club, you can't deny that.

But this is the biggest challenge and everyone has to be pulling in the right direction and urging the team on.

You can see how determined Hibs and Hearts were when they went to Ibrox, but we will see how they get on against the league's so-called lesser teams.

Everyone raises their game against Rangers, we have had that for the last couple of years and the manager and players know what it takes to win in that situation. Hibs and Hearts don't.

But Gers know that they won't get away with ordinary displays, they need to be at the top of their game and there is certainly room for improvement, starting on Friday. I said on Sunday that Rangers might rue the chances they missed come the end of the match because they aren't creating that many these days.

Unfortunately, that turned out to be the case.

I don't think Rangers deserved to lose the game, a point each would have been a fair result. But they lost and must face the consequences.

I don't think Rangers are getting enough out of the players.

When you look at the Hibs game, the visitors looked a fitter side than Rangers and at times Hearts did as well.

There is a lot of pace in both of those teams, they were very dangerous on the break, and Rangers couldn't cope. That has to be a concern.

Rangers are not creating enough. They have got wide players and full-backs that can get forward but there is nothing decent going into the box.

It is great having two quality strikers who can score goals, but there is no ammunition for Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller and that has to change.

I would suspect that we will see the likes of Fraser Aird coming in against Falkirk to offer something different in the wide areas. He has got a bit of pace and can cause teams problems.

Ally will want to have battlers in the team for Friday as well. I think Rangers are being bullied.

Teams are physical against them to stop them playing and, from their point of view, rightly so. What Rangers have to do is look after themselves.

Hearts won the crime count by a country mile on Sunday, because they were committed and got in there to stop Rangers playing. The players need to learn from that.

Big Jock Wallace used to say that you retaliate first in this game and that is what Rangers need to do.

You need to have that physical side and I would imagine the team would be beefed up a bit for tomorrow with a bit of pace injected, because that is what is lacking. If you look at the two games against Hibs and Hearts, Boyd and Miller have had few clear-cut chances and that is not good enough.

The two of them are in there for a reason - to score goals. But they need the midfield and full-backs to play their part and create for them.

Kenny has worked his socks off so far, his movement has been good and he has done a lot of running, he is doing everything right.

But it is not paying dividends for Rangers because he is having to come deep to get involved and there is no service for him or Boyd.

If Rangers are to turn things around, the players need to step up to the plate and improve right across the team. There is no better time to start than tomorrow night.

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