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RANGERS DISGRACE THEMSELVES AT THE VETCH

Being a Rangers fan, you develop a thick skin. You expect that every other week all your mates at work will be taking the piss after your latest defeat, you expect that every now and then a smaller team will make a mockery of you in the cup. What you do not expect is to walk out of a football ground thoroughly ashamed of your team.

From first whistle to last Rangers were made to look ordinary by a team that currently sits in 18th position in Division 3. They are in this position for a reason, they are crap. Today you would have thought we were playing Brazil such was the time and space allowed by a lacklustre and at times disinterested Rangers side.

All the talk of injuries during the week had given people hope that a few fresh faces might be added to the squad. We arrived to see the usual suspects going through their pre-match warm up. Christer Warren replaced Paul Bruce at left back, a change that is hardly going to inspire confidence and Leroy Griffiths replaced Andy Thomson who was given the day off for family reasons. As always the rule of no Thommo no goals was in effect.

The team could not have made a worse start. The game was not yet ten minutes old when flying postman John Williams gave Swansea the lead. A sweeping move from back to front led to Mamady Sidibe delivering an inch perfect cross for Williams to tap home. In Williams and Sidibe Swansea had a front pairing that had both size and electrifying pace. Against our rather cumbersome pairing of Chris Plummer and Steve Palmer, they had an absolute field day. The ease with which they went past our two lumbering carthorses was ridiculous.

Shortly before half time, Swansea added a second through Nick Cusack. Christer Warren gave away a needless free kick on half way. A long ball was pumped to the edge of the box, flicked on and fired home by Cusack with barely a challenge to be seen. Half time and 2-0 down against a side that should not have been posing any threat. Now you would think that this should be a sign that changes were needed. No bloody chance! The same eleven that had failed to create a single chance took the field for the second period. I assume Holloway expected them to turn the game around themselves. If this was the case, he was the only one in the ground with that thought in his head.

Another fifteen odd minutes had passed when Holloway made two changes and in the process wasted a substitution that could have been vital. Mark Perry was replaced by Ollie Burgess, which was fair enough, but then Bruce replaced Warren! What the hell was all that about. Why bother to replace one shit left back with another. What we needed was a presence up front to hold the ball and bring others into play. Stuart Wardley would have been the far better option but no, Holloway knows better. I hate to say it but I am really starting to get pissed off with Holloway's tactical naivety. As mush as I admire him for the conditions he has to work under, I can not excuse his inability to read a game and make changes that might help us win.

As it turned out Bruce had our only meaningful attempt at goal. His twenty-five yard free kick glanced off the outside of former Rangers target Roger Freestone's post. Another lengthy period of apathy ensued before a double blow from Swansea finally killed off any hopes of a comeback.

A hopeful punt forward bounced between Digby and Sidibe. Digby came rushing from his goal and had an air shot at the ball, this left Sidibe with the simple task of controlling the ball and rolling it into the gaping net. Just before full time Swansea stalwart Steve Parking added the fourth from all of two feet.

From a total of fourteen player used in this game only two can hold their heads high knowing that they did all they could to try and prevent this sickening defeat. Ollie Burgess ran his heart out on the right wing and supplied good quality passes for the rest of the team to arse up. The other player to emerge with credit is Terrell Forbes. If it had not been for a quite breathtaking display from Forbes, we could have conceded six or seven. He spent the entire night clearing up the mess left behind by Plummer and Palmer and tried in vain to get forward whenever possible.

The rest of the team should hang their heads in shame. They do not seem to appreciate how much this club means to the beleaguered fans who have had to endure so much over the past five years. I would rather have seen a team made up of supporters get crushed 12-0 than watch so called professional footballers put on a display that made me feel sick to my stomach.

If we do not respond to this defeat in a positive manner then the fans will start to turn not only on the team but on Holloway as well. We already have absolutely no faith in what happens at board level and it would be a sorry state of affairs if this were the case at pitch level to. We have to beat Swindon it is as simple as that. If we play the same side that played today, we won't. He needs to inject some pace into the defence and that means that Palmer and Plummer must be dropped. He needs to find a creative spark in midfield and that means Perry and Bonnot must be dropped. Most of all we need a steady supply of goals and that means Griffiths and Doudou must be dropped.

Such a mass cull may not please everyone but it is time that certain players realised that a place in the team is not theirs by some sort of divine right. They must earn the opportunity to pull in the blue and white hoops and on this display, not many deserve that at the moment.