ANDY Halliday believes Rangers’ players can resolve their disciplinary issues with a self-policing system which could include fines.
Rangers have suffered eight red cards – albeit one was rescinded – and other suspensions have kicked in as a result of cautions in the Premiership and the Betfred Cup and it is feared that such a record could prevent them from achieving success this season.
Alfredo Morelos has been the worst offender having been suspended in both domestic competitions as well as the Europa League.
Halliday, however, will not use the often-incendiary Colombian as a scapegoat and believes the squad as a whole need to improve their behaviour – starting at Dundee today where Rangers need to prove they can recover from a poor performance and result against Aberdeen in midweek.
“What we have to discuss is what we’re going to do about it," Halliday said. “What are we, as players, going to do about it the next time it happens? Something has to change and we’ve not come up with the solution yet. Maybe it’s taking money from players.
“Sometimes you can’t leave it all down to the staff because they do enough with the players on discipline. We might need to have a chat about what we can do in-house.
“When you look back at the red cards, we’ve managed to hold on quite a lot which shows the character the squad has. But ultimately there have been a couple of occasions which have cost us points. The simple fact is that’s not good enough.
“It’s a fine balance. You want boys to be competitive but you also want them to keep their control and composure within that.
“The number of red cards we’ve had this season has been unacceptable. Some of them have been harsh, let’s be honest, but some have been justified. It’s something we need to address.
“The gaffer tried to address it through the week and our response was to let it get out of control again. At the end of the day if it’s going to cost you points it’s going to cost you medals, so it’s something we’re certainly not happy about.”
Morelos is out of today’s game at Dens Park as a result of six cautions and will sit out next Sunday’s Ibrox meeting with Hamilton for his red card against the Dons. Halliday has some sympathy.
“I’ve had that edge before as well. Maybe not as mental as he is," he said. “Wayne Rooney is a perfect example: when he was a young kid, he had that fire in his belly and ultimately that’s what’s taken him to where he is today. I’d never try to drill that out of young players. It’s just important to have that composure and control to keep it in check.
“Alfredo has been magnificent for us this year. I think he’s come on leaps and bounds. He was impressive last year but he’s come on even more this year.
“It’s something we need to control but you don’t want to drill that, or his desire to win, out of him.”
Rangers face a familiar face today in the shape of Kenny Miller who impressively showed there is life in the old dog yet by scoring a hat-trick against Hamilton in midweek.
“He’s in a rich vein of form," said Halliday. “Kenny’s a good friend of mine so I’m delighted to see him scoring goals. “Personally, I think Dundee are in a false position. I’ve watched a few of their games this year under Neil McCann especially and they played a lot of good football. There were a lot of games where they were actually the better team.
“We’ve dropped points over the last couple of seasons at Dens Park so that’s something we need to be aware of. We need to do our job.
“When we lost to Aberdeen in the Betfred Cup semi-final it was probably the first time the squad had faced adversity. We had to see how our character would hold up and how we’d bounce back – and we bounced back with a winning streak. That gives me confidence that we can do the same this month.”
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