‘Slow, uninspired, and no excuses' – Motherwell’s Andy Halliday rips through Rangers days before he faces them

Andy Halliday branded Rangers "slow and uninspired" against St Mirren right before his Motherwell team face them in the Premier Sports Cup semi final this weekend.

And the former Ibrox midfielder isn't having the "excuse" Philippe Clement keeps wheeling out for his side's early-season lethargy. Rangers picked up a much-needed win over Saints but were far from their best, needing a moment of magic from Cyriel Dessers off the bench to create the winner on a day that fans protested and boos were heard ringing out at half-time.

There's been signs of life from them - that 4-0 win over Steaua Bucharest during the week - but for frustrated punters the good performances have been too few and far between. And Halliday, whose Motherwell team face them at Hampden on Sunday after Wednesday's round of fixtures, was among the dissenting voices.

He told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard: "I said last Monday, I don't think it's just results Rangers need, it's performances. They really need to win the fans over. They followed that up with a fantastic performance against FCSB, I thought they were excellent. They played with real tempo and purpose.

"You're hoping that kickstarts a mini-run where they put some good performances together, then they follow it up with a performance very similar to the Kilmarnock game. Really slow and laboured. St Mirren deserve a lot of credit for how they pressed Rangers, and I felt as if Rangers fell into the trap.

"That was down to no real dynamism, tempo or urgency to make a difference within the game. Rangers' best player was Nico Raskin, which is a plus. He showed a lot of promise when he first came in the door but lost his way a little bit. Bajrami impressed in flashes certainly in the second half, but for the