Rangers boss Gerrard slams his ‘soft, weak and embarrassing’ players after shock defeat at Tranmere

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard was left fuming after the Scottish Premiership champions suffered a surprise defeat on his return to Merseyside.

The former Liverpool captain hit out at his players for being ‘soft and weak’ following the 1-0 defeat by against Micky Mellon’s side on Saturday.

And Gerrard said he was ’embarrassed’ by the defending which allowed Kieron Morris to score the first-half winner at Prenton Park on Saturday. 

‘I’m not happy with the result. There were large pockets of control and you could clearly see our style but over the 90 minutes, it was nowhere near Rangers standard in the final third,’ Gerrard told Rangers TV.

‘You have to take into consideration it’s our second game and we’re coming in fatigued but the level of players we’ve got here today I expect us to create more and get a couple of goals each half.

‘Disappointed in the result, frustrated with our final third play but really happy with pockets and how certain individuals have gone about their business.’

Despite the absence of a number of stars who were involved in international football over the summer, Gerrard was able to field 22 first-team players and was not impressed by the level of commitment. 

‘People jumping out of the way of tackles and being soft and weak, I can’t tolerate that, he said.

‘We had a couple of real good two on one moments where we could have been better, the goal we conceded is embarrassing from our level last year. 

‘As we move along we’ll get stronger and better. It’s frustrating to lose the game today but big picture, the result isn’t important but the takeaway is we have to improve in the final third.

‘There were another eight positives to take away from today and they’re not here with us. It’ll all work itself out.  

One positive for Gerrard was the debut of midfielder John Lundstram following his arrival on a free transfer from Sheffield United this week. 

He added: “For large parts of the first half John cruised it. You can see what he’s going to give us, he tired a little bit. 

‘He’s been pushed really hard this week, he went into the game tired but you could see his quality and his presence. He’ll get better and better so he was a positive for me today. ‘