RAGING Steven Gerrard has told his Ibrox flops they can forget about winning the Premiership.
The Liverpool legend ripped into his players following their goalless draw in Govan yesterday against St Johnstone, a team beaten THREE times in quick succession by Celtic, as they failed to step up the pressure on the champions.
Gerrard knew his side could edge to within three points of the Hoops who will play this afternoon against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
However, they blew the opportunity and Brendan Rodgers’ players go into the Ayrshire showdown in the knowledge a victory will ease them EIGHT points ahead of the Govan outfit.
A seething Gerrard, whose team also drew 0-0 a week ago in the Scottish Cup at Killie, bemoaned a lack of “leadership” among his side and appeared to confess the championship is now Celtic’s to lose.
He blasted: “Right now, forget titles and forget closing gaps. The reality is to perform like that across the board in front of 50,000, well there’s your evidence.
“You don’t need me to say this, that or the other.
“If you have a group of lads and they give you that when they’ve got the chance to close the gap to three points, when you have Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and the rest breathing down your neck, that’s not what’s required at Rangers.
“You’re miles away from it.”
Gers were without controversial Colombian Alfredo Morelos and Gerrard was asked if the rest of his squad had to step up and do more with the striker serving a ban, he answered: “Yeah, big time.
“I felt for Jermain Defoe. Balls were coming in to him in the air, his chest, they are bobbling in. There was no service. I never saw a slide pass, a decent cross, a decent combination. Anything I’d seen in previous days.
“The cop-out would be to say there was no Morelos, no Arfield, no Jack, but I believe we picked a team with the quality to beat St Johnstone if we play at an acceptable level. But it wasn’t acceptable.
“We can’t be relying on decisions, we need to be better as a team and perform, so we aren’t always talking about officials.
“We need to look at ourselves and admit it wasn’t good enough.”
Gerrard’s men now step onto the tightrope when they take on Steve Clarke’s Killie in their Scottish Cup replay at Ibrox on Wednesday.
An exit from the national competition could mean the Govan side have little or nothing to play for during the rest of the campaign.
* DON’T miss the unbeatable match report and the best action images from Kilmarnock v Celtic this afternoon – only in your champion CQN.
