Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers have played the equivalent of three full games with 10 men or less this season.
Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has called on his boys to curb their ill discipline, after revealing that his side have played 280 minutes of football this season with 10 men or less.
Rangers picked up their seventh red card in all competitions on Sunday as Scott Arfield was dismissed in the 2-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle.
In doing so, the Ibrox outfit have now picked up one more dismissal than they did in the entire 2017-18 campaign under Pedro Caixinha and later Graeme Murty.
Rangers have the worst disciplinary record in every tier of Scottish football, and Gerrard admits something must change due to the knock-on effect it has on his selection options.
“I am confident we can help the players and channel it in the right direction. We want them to be tough and compete and be fair, and be as hard to play against as we can,” he told The Scottish Sun.
“But we have to make the players aware of the knock-on effect. We have played over 280 minutes with either ten men or nine.
“We’ve coped very well in those circumstances, but it’s the knock-on effect it has.”
Playing over 280 minutes of football this season with less than 11 men is a ridiculous statistic and one which illustrates the problem.
That is the equivalent of over three full matches and it’s time that the former Livepool midfielder puts an end to it.
There is the risk of weakening Rangers’ intensity by telling the players to be a bit more mindful, but there’s an even greater chance that the Gers jeopardise the success of their season by having major players suspended for big games.
Alfredo Morelos has already sat out the League Cup semi-final defeat through suspension, but that was well over a month ago and there’s no sign of the red-card crisis abating.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
