STUART McCALL has told his team they must play like MEN on Sunday if they are to have any chance of getting back into the top flight.

 

Rangers are on the verge of a fourth year in the lower leagues unless they can overturn a 3-1 deficit against Motherwell at Fir Park in the play-off final second-leg.

Too often this season, the Rangers players have been accused of lacking the right spirit and determination in the crucial matches, including in the first-leg on Thursday night.

McCall, or course, played in a side far more talented than they one he leads, but they matched their ability with a steely determination which got them through so many tough spots.

And the interim manager wants to see more of this tomorrow afternoon.

McCall said: "I don't like saying we have nothing to lose, because we have a place in the Premiership to lose.

"No-one is going to give us much hope outside our dressing room, so whoever gets the opportunity to wear that jersey on Sunday has to give everything they've got.

"I don't want any faint-hearted, weak-willed or nervous players on Sunday. I just want men. I want people to take the game by the scruff of the neck and do everything they can.

"Let's guarantee that they give everything from the first whistle to the last whistle. It's the last game of the season. They can go away and rest after it, but don't come off the park on Sunday thinking you didn't give everything they've got.

"I can't point the finger at them for lack of endeavour, effort or desire since I came in. Maybe just a lack of quality and poor defending at times."

McCall has worked with the players for a little over two months and while for the most part he's had a positive response, he admitted that the belief that Rangers can upset the odds has to come from the players themselves.

McCall said: "In football people say, 'if you can't get up for this game.. but desire has to come from within.

"I like to think I can get the best out of whatever I've had to work with since I've been a coach and manager.

"Whatever way you do that, deep down it comes from within. It has to. You have to realise that yourself.

"We ask that they go out and just give everything they have regardless of what's going on on the park That they just come off there having given everything.

"When questions have been asked of us this season, and there have been doubters, the biggest percentage of the time since I've been here the players have answered. I think we can do that on Sunday."

One of McCall's many problems is that he is struggling to put together a squad of fit players.

Asked how many injuries he had, McCall said: "Too many. I worked on Friday morning with the 14 that didn't play the previous night. There are some major doubts about a few of them. three or four of them will be involved.

"And question marks whether a few of them are just running on empty. Sometimes you just need to say, 'you know what? Let's go with whatever we've got."