There can be no passengers: Kris Boyd warns Rangers need to step up to secure Champions League play-off spot

Boyd was concerned by the Scottish champions’ lacklustre displays in their 1-0 defeat by Dundee United in the cinch Premiership at Tannadice on Saturday and 2-1 loss over in Sweden last week.

And he thinks the fans – who are being allowed back inside the Govan ground en masse for the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak in March last year - will grow restless and pile the pressure on James Tavernier and his team mates if they perform as poorly again.

“A full house will make a huge difference,” he said at his charity golf day at Turnberry yesterday. “Ibrox is a fantastic place to play football and the fans will be right behind them. The fans can be that 12th man.

“But to get them onside they need to start at a decent tempo and bring them with them. If it is anything like Saturday it can have the opposite effect.

“The manager has said he needs everyone, including the fans, pulling in the right direction. But the players must start on the front foot. The last thing you want is a few jeers from the crowd early on.

“It is a massive game and to reach the Champions League would be the final step in getting back to where they used to be. But Rangers will have to step up massively from the weekend and from the first leg in Sweden.

“They need virtually the whole team playing at the top of the game. They cannot afford four or five players to be off it. In both games they had too many guys who were not at the level required. You cannot afford to carry any passengers.”

However, Boyd was impressed with the shape that Alfredo Morelos, the Colombian striker who played in the Copa America in Brazil last month, was in on Tayside in his first appearance since coming out of 10 days in self-isolation.

He thinks that Rangers’ record European goalscorer, who is often at his very best in continental competition, will make a huge difference to the Glasgow outfit in the second leg of their Champions League third qualifying round double header with Malmo.  

“The tie is far from over and Rangers are well and truly in it,” said Boyd.  “The first game was a worry. But you have to focus on the positives of the last minute goal.

“Yet, that was a deflected strike and was just about their only attempt of the game. At Tannadice they could have played until midnight and they wouldn't have scored. That is a worry for Gerrard and he will have a few concerns.

“But I was actually surprised how fit Morelos looked against United considering his lack of games and training. He looked in decent shape after coming out of quarantine.

“Running around a hotel car park is not great preparation for a huge Champions League qualifier. I just hope the 80 minutes he had on Saturday doesn’t take its toll on him. Hopefully he has a level of fitness to get him through the Malmo game.

“There is no doubt in Europe he has stepped up to the plate in the big games. He has been Rangers' go to man on so many occasions in Europe over the past three years.

“He has shown why he has been linked with moved away from the club. Alfredo brings something different and he was missed in that first leg. “

Kris was speaking at The Kris Boyd Charity Golf Day at Turnberry. The charity aims to raise awareness about mental health and fundraises for various causes.