RUSSELL MARTIN’s shellshocked Rangers stars held crisis talks before flying back to Glasgow in the early hours of Thursday morning.
During a heated dressing room debrief deep in the bowels of the Jan Breydel Stadion, captain James Tavernier urged his toiling teammates never to feel the shame of their humiliating 6-0 Champions League loss again.
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As several senior players spoke up in the wake of their battering in Brugge, Tav also called for unity ahead of tomorrow’s Old Firm derby.
With a seething Ibrox support turning on under-fire boss Russell Martin, he knows exactly what’s at stake against Celtic.
And he’s warned there will be no hiding place for anyone as Rangers seek to deliver a response.
Tavernier revealed: “We’ve had a long, hard chat in the changing room, holding ourselves accountable and that’s the main thing.
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“We have to look each other in the eyes and say, this is the last night we feel like this.
“We’re doing something that we love every single day.
“We’re playing for our families. We’re playing for the supporters. We’re playing for the club.
“We have to showcase better performances than that, it’s as simple as that.
“I said to them, make sure this is the last night we ever feel like this because obviously this weekend’s going to be a tough game.
“We know it is and we know probably the response from the fans.
“So we ourselves, have to stick together and then put on a performance because it’s a must win, like every single game.
We’ve got to showcase.”
Rangers’ Champions League hopes were crushed on a night of embarrassment and shame.
A goal and a man down inside seven minutes, Martin’s men simply went to pieces following Max Aarons’ crazy red card.
The travelling support vented their anger and fury towards a stunned Gers bench as cries of “Martin, Martin Get To F***” rained down from the stands.
All Tavernier could do was say sorry once more.
He sighed: “We feel angry.
“We obviously, as a team, have to hold ourselves accountable.
“We have to apologise to the fans who came and who watched back at home because that’s not the standards that we have shown throughout Europe and even in the home games when you consider the level of the goals that we conceded.
How they rated
JACK BUTLAND: Three fine saves to keep the score down as Brugge dominated early on. Didn’t deserve the hiding Gers took. The only player to emerge with any credit 5
MAX AARONS: Some embarrassing schoolboy defending from right-back earned him a first career red card after eight minutes. Surely can’t keep James Tavernier out now 0
NASSER DJIGA: Back from domestic ban but totally lost Nicolo Tresoldi at early opener. Never recovered and looked hopelessly unable to win headers at set-pieces 2
JOHN SOUTTAR: Was stand-in skipper at the start but couldn’t halt Brugge tide. He’s been at the scene of many accidents in Martin’s brief reign. This was the worst so far 2
JAYDEN MEGHOMA: Booked inside three minutes for chopping down Carlos Forbs. It just got worse for the Brentford loanee, who looked like a kid who’s played less than 20 games 2
JOE ROTHWELL: Trotted round midfield like it was a friendly at Bromley. Not got the skillset or the engine for this level of football. Looks like another baffling signing 1
LYALL CAMERON: Ex-Dundee ace had a huge shift with Nico Raskin and Mo Diomande dumped on the bench. Lost a runner at one of the goals as Brugge humiliated Gers 2
THELO AASGAARD: Went from false nine in Paisley to false midfielder in Bruges. If Russell Martin believes he’s a better option than Raskin or Diomande, Gers have big problems 1
OLIVER ANTMAN: Finnish winger was sacrificed by Martin after Max Aarons was sent off early on. Failed to block the cross at the opening goal on an awful night 1
DJEIDI GASSAMA: Goal hero against Panathinaikos and Plzen. But never had a glimpse of goal and has been sucked down to the level of his tormented team-mates 2
DANILO: His goal in the first leg was his first since January 2. He was out-jumped by Hans Vanaken at Brugge’s second goal. Third choice last term but now leading the line 2
Subs
James Tavernier (2) early sub after red card. Nico Raskin (2) on for Rothwell at break. Mo Diomande (2) half-time sub for Aasgaard. Findlay Curtis (2) on for Gassama at break. Connor Barron (2) on for Danilo at 6-0.
“No matter what it is, if people ask if it’s tactically or Max gets sent off, we then have to dig him out as a team and showcase some resilience.
“Just with the manner of the goals that we conceded, we didn’t do that.
“If we are going to push as a team together, we know how early it is in the season, but we have to move on.
“Obviously our aspiration was to play in the Champions League.
“But we have to quickly look at this and fully focus on this weekend.
“We all understand the outrage of the fans and it’s only right.
“We now have to prove a point.
“We have to prove that we all belong in that Rangers top.
“And that means putting in performances that they’ll appreciate.”
Martin also said sorry to supporters after his side’s historic humiliation in Brugge.
Yet despite his catastrophic start he got the immediate post match backing of CEO Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell.
And last night Tav insisted it’s the players who must carry the can after the joint biggest margin of defeat in Gers’ 153-year history.
He stressed: “Obviously the players need to do more.
“The gaffer gives us a game plan.
“We have to stick to it.
“We have to carry whatever he tells us out and it sort of goes up in the air when Max gets sent off.
“It’s a mistake. It happens in football, but then we have to dig him out as a team.
“We just didn’t.
“As a team we didn’t defend as we should.
“That’s the thing that makes us angry and that’s why we’ve got to call this out.”
Joe Rothwell was preferred over Nico Raskin while Tav himself also began the night on the bench.
It has proved a baptism of fire for Martin’s summer signings with the first Old Firm derby of the season still to come before the international break.
Yet Tavernier has nothing but sympathy for the new arrivals.
He stressed: “I’d say they’ve been chucked into the deep end, I don’t know.
“A lot of new players and they’re starting to know the demands of this club.
“Obviously, there’s different ways teams play against us.
“Maybe they’re not used to it.
“But us as a team have to rally with each other and demand of each other and stick with each other after this.
“Because these performances can’t happen again.
“No matter who you’re playing, you obviously can’t concede.
“Nine goals over two legs? You can’t do that.”
Like Raskin, Tavernier’s long-term future under Martin seems uncertain.
Yet it seems unthinkable that he won’t start against Celtic tomorrow.
Tav said: “I’m obviously desperate to start. I always continue to work as hard as I can.
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“If I’m asked off the bench or if I’m starting, I’ll always give it my 100 per cent for the team and for the club.
“Whoever’s asked to do a job, has to do the job.”
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