WHEN you are at Rangers, every game you play is a must-win and Mark and the players will be in no doubt as to how important the fixture with Aberdeen is this afternoon.

The result in midweek against Hearts was bad enough, but it was the manner in which Rangers lost the game that will have really upset the fans.

Mark is the one that takes the fall here. He is the manager, so when the team is playing well he gets all the praise and when things aren’t going well he takes the stick.

But, what I would say, is that the players have got to have a right good look at themselves as well. They have been so inconsistent this season.

On Wednesday night, how many got pass marks? Rangers got what they deserved from the game.

We were never involved at all and the players have to show that they are better than that.

I know there is an argument about the fact that Mark is sticking with the same system and teams know how to play against Rangers. I would go along with that.

But if the players don’t perform then it doesn’t matter what tactics you set out with. If the players defend properly, pass the ball and take their chances then they can win games, but they are not doing that often enough.

They are playing for a club where you are expected to win every week and you have to be able to deal with that pressure every time you step on the park.

When you look at where Rangers have been and what they have come through, any other team would get a bit of time this season. That doesn’t apply to Rangers, though.

The squad has changed dramatically but at Rangers you don’t get the time that you might do elsewhere. You have to hit the ground running and Rangers haven’t done that this season.

Wednesday night at times was embarrassing for them. We hardly had a shot at goal, we were on the back foot for most of the game, we had no answers for Hearts.

Some of the players look like they are going out there thinking that things are just going to happen for them rather than going out and making it happen and that isn’t good enough.

Mark has got a big problem on his hands and I wouldn’t play the same team against Aberdeen because it lacked sharpness, it lacked endeavour and a will to win.

Mark is a young manager and he has only had a few seasons as a boss. I know he has his principles in how he wants the game to be played, that is fine and I get that.

But teams know how to play Rangers and there has to be a time where Mark looks at it and says ‘right, that is not working, let’s try something else’.

When Wes Foderingham gets the ball, teams push players onto the centre-backs and full-backs and if we play it long Rangers don’t win it because we aren’t a physical side.

If Mark still feels that the system he is using is the one that will get the side the wins they need then that is fine, continue with it. But if he doesn’t get the results then the 50,000 supporters at Ibrox will not be slow in telling him.

There was a lot of anger amongst the fans this week in the aftermath of the Hearts game and it was directed at the manager and the players.

Yes, it is Mark that has brought the squad together, that picked the starting line-up and that made the substitutions.

But sometimes the players have to take responsibility and look themselves in the mirror. If they had asked themselves ‘could I have done better?’, the answer would have been yes.

You can’t afford to give away such soft goals, you can’t afford to not pass the ball, you can’t afford to miss chances when they come along.

The fans that travelled through to Tynecastle and the ones that watched it on TV would have been disgusted at the performance.

Mark says that the players are looking good in training but the fans want to see it on the park and they want to see a side putting a real shift in.

Rangers have got to finish second this season and that is why the game with Derek McInnes’ side this afternoon is so important.

Aberdeen are their main challengers for second spot so you have to do the business against them.

We lost up at Pittodrie, unluckily on the day you have to say, but we still got no points. We were an absolute disaster against Hearts and it was a pitiful performance.

Rangers need to put on a good showing for the fans because some of them are getting upset now and the honeymoon period is well and truly over. If they don’t get a result against Aberdeen then they will soon find out the wrath of the Ibrox crowd.

It is up to the players to give themselves a shake. They need a performance and a win this afternoon.

The best way to silence your critics and to ease the pressure is to play well and to pick up three points. The win is imperative for Rangers against Aberdeen.

This is an ideal chance for Rangers to bounce back and now the players must show they have what it takes at Ibrox.