Connor Goldson: Rangers need to improve dramatically after defeat to Aris Limassol

Connor Goldson insists Rangers need to “improve dramatically” as he reflected on their embarrassing 2-1 Europa League defeat by Aris Limassol on Thursday night.

Former Gers midfielder Steven Davis was asked to take over on an interim basis after Michael Beale was dismissed at the weekend following the 3-1 defeat by Aberdeen at Ibrox which left them seven points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic.

The Northern Irishman’s first game as interim boss did not go well in Cyprus.

Defender Alex Moucketou-Moussounda headed the home side in front early on and striker Shavy Babicka added a second in the 59th minute before attacker Abdallah Sima pulled a goal back for the Ibrox men, but the visitors could not complete the comeback.

Ahead of the trip St Mirren on Sunday, Goldson assessed another poor performance.

The 30-year-old centre-back said: “Obviously disappointing. We have come away from home and expected to win the game as always and we haven’t done so.

“Conceded two poor goals and it is frustrating.

“We need to regroup very fast and we have a lot of hard work to do.

“Same as on Saturday, you concede poor goals and don’t score your chances and the game of football is going to be difficult.

“Concede the first goal – it is my man. I have to do better.

“The second goal, another poor goal but at the moment we are conceding poor goals and we are not finishing at the other end so as a team we need to improve dramatically.

“There is a lot missing. We are conceding sloppy goals and not scoring chances at the other end. Any team that does that is going to find it hard to win games of football.

“It is down to a lot of things, confidence obviously.

“We have had a poor start to the season but the only way you get through a bad spell is by working hard and at the minute we need to work harder as a team.

“We need to run more for each other, we need to fight more for each other, that is the only way you are going to get out of a bad spell.

“The harder you work the luckier you become. You have to work hard every single day. You go home and look in the mirror and know you are doing everything and then you come together as a team.

“I think we need to become a team as quickly as possible, we need to really knuckle down and fight for each other.

“I am not saying we are not doing that now but we have to become a real team as quickly as possible.”

Once again the Rangers fans were left berating their players at the end of the game but Goldson had no complaints.

He said: “They are paying a lot of money to come and watch us.

“A five-and-a-half hour journey to come here and watch a game of football and we obviously haven’t produced. It (reaction) is obviously expected.

“I want to say sorry, but I don’t want to say sorry because I feel that it is all we are doing at the moment.

“There is too much talking going on from the club in general.

“Everyone in the club, we are doing media and we are talking too much, we need to start winning games of football.

“That’s what I say to boys in the team, it is the most passionate group of fans that you will ever see and you start winning games of football and they will be on your side.

“But you don’t win games of football, they deserve their opinion.”