What an absolute bloody shambles. Aside from the first 100 seconds of this game Rangers couldn't get anything right and Leeds United just couldn't get anything wrong. Freak results come around every now and then and this is certainly one of those, lets just hope that we don't have many more of these.

Following the excellent win against Wigan last weekend the team was largely unchanged and should have been going into this brim full of confidence. Day was in goal behind Bignot, Santos, Shittu and Rose. Bircham and McLeod were restored in midfield alongside Ainsworth and Gallen with Cureton and Furlong up front.

Rangers made a fabulous start to the game when Gareth Ainsworth scored a trademark screamer. Picking up a pass from Gallen he sidestepped Danny Pugh before ripping a shot past Neil Sullivan from just outside the box. As soon as it left his foot it was a certain goal. The R’s fans were buoyant now and were hopeful of a Leeds collapse. Things couldn’t have been more different.

Leeds were back on level terms within seven minutes. A long ball from Kelly was flicked on by Brian Deane and Healy produced a delightful lob over Day. There was no pressure on Deane’s flick and this would be the hallmark of Shittu and Santos all day. They missed and buggered up countless headers and the pair of them were pretty much accountable for all six.

Four minutes later and it was 2-1. Padula had now replaced the injured Rose and he was undone by Walton and Wright. The former Ipswich man crossed the ball and Deane was left to run unchecked by Santos and he poked the ball home. Rangers now needed to try and steady the ship but Leeds continues to pour forward and were soon having a goal disallowed.

John Oster, on loan from Sunderland, cut in from the left and struck a shot toward Day. It was not the greatest strike ever but it had enough for Day to spill it. Deane was on hand to stroke the ball into the unguarded net but was denied by the linos flag. No bother though, after twenty three minutes Rangers gifted them the third.

Once again a seemingly routine ball into the box was not properly cleared. This time Santos headed the ball straight up in the air and Jermaine Wright struck the ball on the volley. Day parried the initial shot but Wright was on hand to knock the rebound home. Wright and another Leeds player had reacted to the save, not one Rangers player had.

Rangers managed a couple of shots themselves as the half drew to a close. First Gallen dragged a left footed shot wide before McLeod sent one high into the Leeds fans standing behind the far goal. There was a hope that if we could get in just two behind then we could pull something out of the fire, when we went in four down then things became a touch more fraught.

Deane grabbed his second of the game when a ball from the right was rolled through the six yard box no more than two yards from the goal line. No R’s player attacked it; Day just stood there and watched it roll by before Deane slid in at the far post to tuck it away. Pathetic defending all round and two minutes later they were at it again.

Yet another attack down the Leeds right ended with a ball into the box. Shittu, all 6’ 3” and 16 stone of him bottled a challenge with Healy and the ball went straight to Deane. He controlled the ball on his chest before slotting past Day. We had just witnessed the most gutless display of defending I can remember in all my years of watching Rangers. It wasn’t that Leeds had carved us to pieces, we had simply handed goals to Leeds on a plate and they had gleefully accepted the gifts.

Olly made two changes at the break with Bean and Cook replacing Cureton and McLeod. Gallen switched to attack and for a while Rangers managed to stem the tide. It was no surprise that Leeds didn’t run in even more goals as they had the big cigars on by this point and why not!

Referee Webster tried to compound our misery by awarding Leeds a penalty. Marcus Bean challenged Simon Walton in the box and the young midfielder threw himself to the ground. Healy stepped up to take the kick only to see Day fling himself to his right and produce an excellent one handed save.

This was something of a false dawn though and soon the sixth was duly added by Deane. Yet another ball in from the right was headed straight up in the air by Shittu. Rather than trying to rectify his mistake he just stood there and watched as Deane nodded the ball past the helpless Day.

And at that point I jacked it in and left. I have only ever left two Rangers games before the final whistle, the home defeat to Cardiff a couple of years ago and now this. I am not proud of it but I simply could not sit there and watch them continue to embarrass themselves like that. They were a shambles from start to finish and could not have made things any easier for an average Leeds side had they tried.

No doubt the Leeds fans will be crowing about this for a long time to come and rightly so. Their chant of, “6-1 in your cup final” sums up there high opinion of the club though, they would do well to remember that they are not Premiership Leeds anymore and there current plight will seem eerily familiar to many R’s fans.

Getting back to Rangers though, the whole side were a joke aside from Matthew Rose. He didn’t get a chance to make an idiot of himself! I have never seen Shittu and Santos perform so poorly at the same time. You expect one of them to have a mare every now and then but the other is normally on hand to pick up the pieces, who picks them up when they are both at it? Day? Not at the moment, he looks like a keeper that knows he will be picked every week and badly needs some competition for his jersey. At the moment for every good save there is a moment of hesitation and that cost us today.

We need a proper left back; it is a sort state of affairs when the centre half that is playing there goes off, the recognised left back comes on and we then concede five goals from crosses from that side! The midfield and attack is not in need of an immediate pep up as there is not a huge amount you can do if every time the ball goes near the box someday is gifting a goal away.

Driving home last night though, I heard some lyrics that seemed to sum the day up. As the mighty Chas & Dave sang, “Mustn’t grumble, don’t worry ‘bout nothin’ my friend, mustn’t grumble as all’s well that’s well in the end”, I thought too bloody right, bring on the Cardiff!

simon@qprnet.com