Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has warned his fringe players there is no room for the Light Blues to carry any passengers after a disappointing 1-0 defeat by Tranmere Rovers this afternoon at Prenton Park – telling them they need to perform or be axed from the side.
The Gers put in a disjointed and lacklustre performance as Gerrard made his return to Merseyside and the Liverpool legend was far from happy with his side’s performance against Mickey Mellon’s side.
With two games under their belts now, Gerrard told his stars that from Monday everything is being geared up towards the competitive games now and he is looking at how they perform in training and friendlies before the league getting underway on July 31.
“The first two weeks is all about minutes and getting people minutes and getting volume into the legs,” Gerrard told Rangers TV.
“From Monday we’ll have a look at this game and it’s about impressing and training to play because now I’m going to pick teams for 60 minutes.
“If you’re not performing now we can’t carry anyone, the season is so important as we move along. People need to impress and play well or they won’t get many minutes.”
Gerrard clearly not impressed as fringe men go through the motions
With a number of key players set to return to training in the coming days and weeks there will be plenty of competition for places when the Light Blues take on Arsenal next week.
The likes of Jordan Jones, George Edmundson and Brandon Barker will really need to step their performances up quickly if they are to impress Gerrard.
They weren’t the only ones who toiled as Rangers huffed and puffed – but after spending the second half of last season on loan, they need to run a bit faster, jump a bit higher and do everything that little bit better than those around them.
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