Ally McCoist looked bemused when he was asked by the ESPN reporter if he recognised the importance of next weeks match against table toppers Elgin in terms of winning the championship.
Of course he was aware that it would be a blow to fall further than two points behind the Highland outfit, but the expectation is still high that his charges will romp to the title.
But his demeanor following the shoddy draw at Berwick suggested the Rangers manager knows this will not be as easy as everybody expects. Just like their previous match at Peterhead, Rangers produced an inept display and can consider themselves extremely fortunate to have left with a point.
Berwick deserve all the credit as they showed considerable enthusiasm for the job in hand, making it a real awkward afternoon for their illustrious opponents, although boss Ian Little must surely feel a tad frustrated with referee Mike Tumilty’s decision to blow for a supposed late infringement, which prevented the little Rangers securing another famous victory over McCoist’s men.
Post match the Rangers manager could not hold back in his criticism of his team’s performance and rightly so. From the first minute to the last Rangers were simply awful. Without the lung bursting runs of Lee Wallace and the vision of Dean Shiels, the Gers looked lost in the Northumberland sunshine, with not one player deserving of a pass mark.
It must be hugely concerning for fans of the Light Blues that three games into their Third Division adventure, they have only witnessed one victory.
This simply should not be.
For all the determination of their opponents, who appear to be thriving in the national spotlight, Rangers should still be capable of brushing these part-time outfits aside. Yes McCoist is still in the process of building a team without the benefit of a proper pre-season, but nonetheless expectations are high amongst the Rangers support that they should still be watching a side who can at least play decent football.
And that is simply not happening.
Just like the debacle at Peterhead, the faults were all too apparent and very similar. The Gers have a shaky defence, a lack of imagination in midfield and no real cutting edge in attack. It’s ok to swat aside the likes of East Stirlingshire at Ibrox, but when they are on away duty the Rangers players must roll their sleeves up and match the fight and desire of their new league sides. Sometimes having the correct attitude and application is as just as important as possessing the higher standard of skill.
Just like the game at Peterhead they had to rely on the heroics of Neil Alexander who produced an outstanding save to help save their blushes. Indeed Alexander cut a frustrating figure at times, angry with the continual failure of Carlos Bocanegra and Emilson Cribari to deal with the attacking runs of the Berwick frontline.
The Brazilian was at fault for the Borderers equalizer and must up his game considerably.
Young Ross Perry may be a natural centre half forced to play at right back but he must be expected to do better, turning in an error strewn performance which will have done nothing to improve his confidence.
Both Lee McCulloch and Ian Black possess a wealth of SPL experience but they failed miserably to stamp their authority on the game whilst Fran Sandaza and his replacement Kevin Kyle contributed next to nothing in attack.
At times it looked like McCoist had assembled this team on the morning on the match and unless there is a massive improvement both in terms of attitude and desire the much expected comfortable route out of the third division is going to be a very bumpy ride instead.
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