news-engine

Dan Neil 'devastated' by Rangers fan fury over Europa League exit but refuses to give up on dream scenario Derek McInnes' side have failed to win in any of their four matches in all competitions so far this season Dan Neil has had no shortage of people telling him how a happy Ibrox is the greatest place in the world. But he’s discovering for himself that you’ll have to go to the ends of the earth to find an angrier venue when things go wrong for Rangers. And so far for the former Sunderland skipper, you have to say nothing has gone right in Glasgow. Four games into the new season and Gers are already out of the Europa League and five points adrift of Celtic in the title race. There were scenes of fury on Thursday night as Derek McInnes' men crashed out of UEFA’s second-tier tournament and into the Conference League after a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok. It’s a million miles from the picture he was sold before agreeing to join the club this summer. But Neil is refusing to give up on that idealistic image despite the torrid start suffered by McInnes’ new look line-up. "I think it's a natural thing,” said the midfield man. “We understand there's an expectation to win here and when you're not winning it is going to be like that at the stadium. “We have to accept that as Rangers players and do everything we can to turn that around. “I've heard so many people that have been here for a while saying when we're winning it's the best place to be in the world and there's no place like it and that's got to be our motivation every day to try and turn it around and make it the best place to play in the world. "It's obviously tough at times but the fans just want to win and they want to see the team doing well. “The same way that the players and the staff are working every day to try and win games, to please the fans and get them onside and love them being at Ibrox watching the team. "So listen, we understand the frustration and the disappointment and we're going to do everything we can to try and turn this around. "It's devastating for the players to see the reaction, but we also understand the objectives here and what's expected. “We understand that it's fallen below that in the first four games, but I think it's important that as a club we stick together because we do have a good group of players in there - a group of players that are going to do everything to try and turn around the bad start that we've had. “It's just a start, it's a very long season. Like I said, we're going to do everything to try and put it right and get that crowd behind us and start building momentum." McInnes blasted his team for allowing the Poles to sweep the length of the pitch to score the second-leg equaliser that put them back in front in the tie after Lawrence Shankland’s penalty opener. That devastating counter-attack was a repeat of the two sucker punches Jagiellonia landed in last week’s opening clash at the Chorten Arena. And Neil admitted his side are leaving themselves far too open at key points. He said: “We had a full belief going into the game that we'd get the result we wanted and I think for 45 minutes we did that and I think we showed it. “We were really all out, just trying to get the crowd behind us and build momentum. "I felt like we did that in the first half, but we just didn't manage to keep it going in the second half and allowed them back into the game. “Then another bad counter-attack goal, which has been our kryptonite over the last four games, cost us again. “Why is that? I think new faces, new shapes, new formations. It's something that we clearly need to work on. “There's no beating around the bush on that because, like I said, it's been a quick night in the last few games where we've conceded those types of goals. “But it's not unfixable, it's something that we have to take ownership of and we have to watch it back and find a way to stop that from happening because, especially at a stadium like Ibrox, most teams are going to bank in and they are going to defend their box and the way they're going to score is through transitions. "We have to stop being so naive to that and we have to work on it and we have to be clear going into the game about how we're going to stop that. “It's all well and good us thinking we're going to create X amount of chances and dominate around the box, but we also have to think about worst-case scenarios as well and I think that's just what we've been a little bit naive with recently." Neil captained Sunderland to Premier League promotion the season before last and McInnes was hoping his leadership skills would help stiffen the spine of his team. He’s been named deputy to new Ibrox skipper Shankland but insists there are plenty of people within the dressing room determined to make amends, starting with Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup opener at home to St Mirren. “It's not just about Shanks being captain or me being vice-captain. “We've made a real effort to try and have a team full of captains and everybody has a voice. “Everybody leads in a different way, whether it's being vocal or setting an example every single day and we're going to keep working on that and bringing out people's leadership qualities. “Everybody had a bit to say in the changing room after and everyone's taken accountability for what's been happening so far this season and I think it's a sign of a good group when people put their hands up and speak and say what they feel is going wrong. "I've been in plenty of dressing rooms where that doesn't happen, where there's a lot of talking behind backs and things like that. “But we are all one in there and everyone's going to say what they think to each other. Everyone respects each other's views, even if there are arguments. We turn up tomorrow for training and we try and put things right."