Lawrence Shankland said "sickening" was the only word to describe his feelings after Rangers' Conference League exit to FK Jablonec on Thursday night, but the Ibrox captain didn't need to say it because it was written all over his face.
Shankland cut a forlorn figure at the side of the pitch inside Jablonec's tiny Strelnice Stadium after Derek McInnes' side crashed out on penalties at the play-off stage. He had only emerged from the tunnel after the Rangers supporters who travelled to the Czech Republic had left the ground, with a few hundred of them clearly baying for blood at the end of a dismal defeat.
Captain Takes Loss Personally
Shankland, a boyhood supporter and new club captain, knows exactly how those fans felt. That's why he took the loss so badly, why he's so disappointed by the torrid start to his Rangers career, and why his own poor form and failure to find goals is eating away inside him.
Along with manager Derek McInnes, Shankland feels the weight of the world is on his shoulders. He's been around the game long enough to know the buck stops with the Rangers manager when it comes to negative results, but he is adamant the blame doesn't lie with McInnes.
Players Urged to Take Ownership
Instead, Shankland urged every player in the Ibrox dressing room to stand up and take ownership of their below-par performances. Reflecting on the sobering loss, he said: "It's sickening, to be honest. And we need to take responsibility for that as players.
"We're the ones who are out there. There's no doubt in my mind that everyone is trying to do well. But right now, it's not happening for us, if we're being honest. And that's for myself included. It's just not been at the level required from the start of the season.
"We're trying to find that form individually and collectively. But we aren't getting results along the way and we're getting punished, so it's difficult. It's massively on the players. We know that in the changing room - you can't shift that responsibility.
"Over two legs, we were confident that it was a tie we could go and take care of. So it's us who are responsible for not going through."
Apology to Fans
Shankland knows Rangers fans aren't interested in platitudes after a humiliating night in Europe, but he couldn't help saying sorry to the punters who made the trip to Jablonec, only to see their side fail to create a single gilt-edge chance in front of goal. He admits he is finding it tough at Ibrox, having failed to score from open play yet for Gers.
He said: "There haven't been too many times where I've had to apologise to a travelling support. But the players certainly owe the fans an apology. We weren't good enough to win the tie and we went out of the competition.
"We had a one-goal lead and had to capitalise on that but we didn't manage to do it. It's a tough one to but we have to take it on the chin. It's difficult for me personally because you're judged on everything you do.
"Of course, I'd have loved to have come here and had a better start but it's not been the case so far. But listen, I don't lose belief in what we're doing. Right now, it's a horrific feeling and a bad moment. But the way it is, we have to move on at some point. We have to reflect on it and be disappointed but we've got a league campaign to take care of."
Rangers were woeful in the Czech Republic and got what they deserved against Jablonec. Findlay Curtis and James Penrice missed penalties in the shoot-out but, as a team, they didn't do nearly enough to win the game or qualify for the Conference League group stage. Shankland was brought on at half-time but couldn't make an impact, despite despatching his own kick from the spot.
After a game where Rangers were devoid of any creativity, invention, guile or threat in the final third, he was at a loss to explain such a dire display. He said: "It's difficult to explain why we weren't good enough. We need to go away and look at it.
"There were parts of the second half when they were causing us a lot of problems. We just couldn't seem to get to grips with it. On the flip side, when we turned the ball over, our attacking play wasn't good enough either. We didn't create any clear-cut chances to try and get the goal we needed."
