CLINT HILL has blasted Rangers' critics who claim they are mentally soft - by saying he'd defend the accusation with his life.

The Ibrox centre-half was riled by the the suggestion his team-mates have failed to hold their nerve at key moments.

Rangers lost a late goal to go down 2-1 to Inverness on Friday night, their second defeat on the spin leaving them adrift of Aberdeen in third place.

Read more: Derek Ferguson: Rangers are a weak and average team - I blame Mark Warburton

However, Hill remains defiant in the face of questions being asked of this Rangers team, and said: "I'm not going to answer anything like that, I'm not going to dig out my players who stand next to me on a Saturday.

"You won't get that from me. Not one bit. I'm with them and they're with me.

"So I won't have any of that nonsense said about them. In fact, I'd defend that accusation with my life.

"It's nonsense, no-one goes out there to do badly or make mistakes.

"We're human beings who try and do well and I back the lads 100 percent."

Pressure has been mounting on Rangers in recent weeks, even before the departure of Mark Warburton on February 10.

They have only won 12 games from a possible 26 in the Premiership so far, and the lack of adaptability has brought loud murmurs of discontent among the supporters who yearn for their team to find consistency in the Scottish top flight.

Hill is sure they can block out the negativity and show that mental strength he believes is there.

Read more: Derek Ferguson: Rangers are a weak and average team - I blame Mark Warburton

The veteran defender said: "We've got to.

"There's a famous saying from Bill Belichick [New England Patriots head coach] that you've got to ignore the noise.

"Anything outside these four walls is noise and most of it isn't nice.

"People will enjoy the state of play we're in at the moment but as players you've got to ignore the noise.

"It's a big club and to play for a big club you've got a responsibility towards it.

"Obviously you're going to get questions asked of you when the manager leaves with people saying 'what's happened there.'

"It was like Joey left too, everybody wanted to know about it and asked me 'what's he done.'

"But that's football, things happen. What I say to them remains private."

Read more: Derek Ferguson: Rangers are a weak and average team - I blame Mark Warburton

Hill has only been a Rangers player since the start of the season but he insists the responsibility of pulling on that light blue shirt is not lost on him.

The 38-year-old appreciates the cry for improvement, and added: "I have only been here a short time, but the scrutiny is something that comes with the territory. All eyes are on us at the moment.

"This is a big club, in a city with two big clubs. We are not doing too well at the moment so obviously everything is going to be on you. But as a player you have to ignore all the noise around you. Simple as that."