Leon Balogun shows he is a true Rangers man as he hurls feeble excuses in the bin FOREVER

'Shut the F*** up!' - Leon Balogun shows he is a true Rangers man as he hurls feeble excuses in the bin FOREVER

The defender who gets it = remains mystified as to why things have gone so wrong for so long

"It's painful" - Leon Balogun reflects on Rangers' defeat to Motherwell and previews Fenerbahce tie

Searingly honest Leon Balogun has always admired the arrogant streak in Jose Mourinho’s makeup that allows the legendary boss to say exactly what he wants to.

But the Ibrox defender can perfectly understand the Rangers supporters who just wish their team would keep their mouths shut right now. Another game at Ibrox for the punters, another weekend ruined by a performance Balogun himself accepted was unacceptable. Like everyone on the club’s payroll right now, he remains mystified as to why things have gone so wrong for so long.

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He could try to make excuses but the big Nigeria defender knows the fans forking out their hard-earned cash to watch the team week in, week out have heard all that before with no change to the end results. The time for talking is over, now only action will satisfy an increasingly disaffected support base. Getting a result against Mourinho’s Fenerbahce when caretaker boss Barry Ferguson flies his team out to Istanbul for Thursday’s Europa League last 16 opener would be a decent start.

But after Saturday’s latest howler at home to Motherwell, that seems unlikely - even for a team that has reserved it’s best display for continental action. The woeful Well defeat was the third straight home loss in a row following the defeats to Queen’s Park and St Mirren which forced Philippe Clement out. This ragged Rangers side now stand on the brink of an unwanted first - if they lose to Fenerbahce in the return leg a week on Thursday, they will become the first ever Light Blues line-up to suffer four defeats on the spin at Ibrox.

No wonder the fans don’t want to listen anymore. Asked to explain this latest slump, Balogun said: “I wish I could tell you, honestly. It's painful for me personally and I'm sure it is painful for the boys in the dressing room now. It's quite flat. It certainly is for every supporter because I'm very well aware of what many of them give to be here every two weeks.

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“We've let them down again. It feels like every other week one of us is sitting in front of you guys, standing in front of that camera, trying to explain something. But I think people are just tired and so are we.

“But it's in our hands to turn it around. Honestly, I think you know me, I'm very straightforward always. But I couldn't tell you if I wanted to right now. It's baffling and like I said, it's painful.”

That was an honest answer but it was followed by another blunt question - are there enough players in the dressing room who cared enough about results and performances?

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"I don't think it's my place to say that because I can only speak for myself,” said the 36-year-old. I would not say the group does not care because then only four days ago, everybody showed they do. It's not easy to come back from a 2-0 at Rugby Park. We can all agree on that.

“That's not the easiest away game. And to come back in the manner we did as well, to turn around to win 4-2, that showed you that the players have character and they do care. That's why I'm a bit at a loss of words as to what the exact reason is. I can't really put my finger on it.

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“There's just many things coming together and we need to figure them out. And then again, I understand everybody who would say, ‘Shut the F up’ because how many more times am I going to sit here or a manager or another player?

“We need to change it.”

Balogun did his best to get Rangers going when he was introduced at half-time with his team 2-0 down to Michael Wimmer’s superb Steelmen.

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He was one of three changes Ferguson was forced into after an abject first-half display saw Luke Armstrong and Tom Sparrow fire the visitors ahead.

But the damage had already been done by that point, with Cyriel Dessers’ second-half strike insufficient. It was another tough experience for Balogun, who was forced to sit out those mortifying defeats to the Spiders and Saints through injury.

He said: “It's painful because, I would never say there's a lack of care there because they do.

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“I've seen them for the past five weeks, roughly, since I've been out injured. And there are discussions. You see the frustration when they come back in after a defeat.

“And it's painful because you want to help, obviously. I want to add my experience. I want to give what I can give, my qualities on the pitch.

“And you're just sidelined.

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“That's always probably one of the worst situations, apart from being injured anyway. But if you then see your club going through a period like this, where it's like, ‘OK, we bounce back’.

“And you want to use the momentum. But then you get literally swept off your feet again. It's like, ‘Oh my God’.

“So it's draining.”

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(Image: SNS Group )

Rangers need a fresh injection of energy.

Ferguson will hope the players who regularly turned it up in Europe for Clement will do the same for him as he leads the team to Turkey this week.

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As for Balogun, he can’t wait to face down Mourinho again having hushed the outspoken Special One on his one and only previous encounter.

He said: “That was my Premier League debut. He was Man United's manager in August 2018 when we beat him with Brighton 3-2 at home. So that was a very fond memory.

“But, I mean, he's a very, very big character. A very big manager in the football world. And there's a lot of respect that you need to have for his name.

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“I personally enjoy his press conference. Because a lot of people, I think, call him arrogant. Might be.

“But I think he's a very special character. And I think you need a few characters who are not too generic in football to keep it entertaining.”

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