IN the aftermath of any negative result for Rangers – whether it is a draw or a defeat – there are so many questions asked and fingers pointed.

Well, the players should have been doing a bit of soul searching in recent days following the 2-0 loss to Hamilton at Ibrox.

It has been easy in the last couple of seasons to blame the managers, to say that Mark Warburton didn’t have a Plan B and that Pedro Caixinha wasn’t up to the job. Both of those statements were right.

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But the bottom line is that the players aren’t good enough. They are the ones that put Warburton under pressure and got Caixinha the sack.

A new manager will come in soon and he will have to decide who stays and who goes from this squad but I don’t think there will be a massive overhaul early on.

There are players there that aren’t good enough, that is for sure. But it is not a case of getting a dozen in and a dozen out like the last two managers have done.

He will have to evaluate who is going to be part of his plans and I am sure he will want to make a couple of moves in January to give the team a boost in the second half of the season.

If Rangers are going to overcome Aberdeen, they need better players. Never mind Celtic just now, we can’t get near them at the moment.

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And if these players aren’t going up to be up to that task and aren’t capable of taking us to the next stage then they won’t have a long-term future at Ibrox.

We have had some of them coming out and saying they are delighted for ‘Murty’ or ‘Murts’, not ‘the boss’, and that everyone is training hard and playing for him. Then they go out on Saturday and perform like they did against Accies.

If they had scored one of the handful of chances that they created, it could have been different. But they didn’t, and it wasn’t.

The players have got to have a long, hard look at themselves now because performances and results like that are not acceptable at Rangers.

They might have been good players at the clubs they were with, but when you are at a club like Rangers you have got to have a mental strength as well and accept the scrutiny and criticism you will come under. That doesn’t happen at many clubs.

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In times like this, there is one thing to look out for and that is a big concern, and that is when players start not wanting the ball on the pitch. Then, you are hiding.

Players can’t afford to hide at Rangers. If you hide, get out the door, because you are no use to this club.

It is one thing running about and making the fans think that you are trying and giving 100 per cent. But if you don’t want the ball, if you don’t want to take it, then you don’t have what is required to be a Rangers player.

I hope each and every one of them has sat down and asked themselves ‘am I giving my all here?’ Am I committed to this club?’

You feel sorry for Graeme Murty because he is in a difficult position but Saturday was another really poor result under his watch and he will be so disappointed with how it went.

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It is easy to pick on the manager and question his team or his substitutions, but the players on the park didn’t produce and that is why we lost the game.

I am not saying that the effort isn’t there. But the performances and the results certainly haven’t been over the course of the season.

Rangers have got decent players, not great players, and there are very few who are playing at a consistently high level.

It is fine saying that they look sharp in training and are scoring goals during the week, but it is on a match day when it all counts, when there are 50,000 watching you and there is pressure on you.

That is when you are a player or not. You are not a player on the training pitch.

The fans are turning up in their droves but some of them are starting to turn and they are becoming weary of the showings that are being produced and the results we are getting.

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If it is clear you are putting the effort in, you are trying to make things happen and you are giving your all for the club, then, to a certain degree, they will accept that.

But when you are not doing it and it looks like there is no heart and no fight, that is what gets to supporters.

You can’t afford to put your head down as a Rangers player, especially at a time like this. You need to stand up and be counted.

Going to Dens Park on Friday night is far from easy for Rangers and Graeme lost there during his time in charge earlier this year.

Dundee are bottom of the league and fighting for their lives but every club down there is looking for a game to kick-start their season. This could be the one for Neil McCann and his players if Rangers aren't at it.

They know that Rangers are on a downer right now, they are getting a lot of stick and they will feel that they can get something against us.

With the two games against Aberdeen either side of the AGM next week, another poor result is the last thing that Rangers need.