McGregor keen to shake off "failures" tag

Darren McGregor insists Rangers' support are right to label the remaining members of last season's Ibrox squad "failures''.

Despite having the second biggest budget in Scotland, the Light Blues saw their promotion bid collapse.

First they could only limp home to a third-place Championship finish before being humiliated by Motherwell in the play-off final.

That 6-1 mauling cost Stuart McCall his chance to keep the manager's job on a permanent basis.

Englishman Mark Warburton has now been charged with leading Gers back to the Ladbrokes Premiership.

His first act will be to replace the 11 players who were allowed to leave following that Well disaster.

But McGregor believes the men who remain are determined to make amends by winning promotion at the second attempt.

The defender, speaking at a press conference to promote it's season-ticket sale, told Radio Clyde:

"There is no point beating about the bush - it was 6-1. We were out-played and under-performed over the two legs.

"It's difficult as a football player to admit that. You never like to admit that you did fail.

"But I'm sure if you ask 99.9 per cent of the fans, they will say that the boys who were here were failures because we never got up.

"So that's a tag that we rightly got.

"Now it's about this season and trying to prove that we are not failures.''

He added: "Obviously it was a disappointment last season so for us it is just about righting the wrongs.

"We know we under-performed massively last season. All the boys who have gone and those who are still here are still bitterly sore about that.

"But we now need to wipe the slate clean. It's a new season, a fresh start under a new manager with new ideas.

"We just need to galvanise the troops and hopefully the guys who are coming in are ready. They look like quality signings already though.''

Warburton met his new side for the first time on Saturday as Gers reported to Murray Park for pre-season training.

The former Brentford boss obviously made a good first impression on McGregor, with the 29-year-old admitting he was "impressed'' by his new boss' opening address.

But the former St Mirren man knows it's now up to him to prove his worth after Warburton made former Hearts skipper Danny Wilson and Wigan centre-half Rob Kiernan his first Ibrox captures.

"I was reading the papers hoping it was going to be midfielders and forwards but all our signings have so far been defenders,'' McGregor said.

"But to be honest at a big club like Rangers you can't expect players not to come in. If that stops then there is problems.

"I played against Danny when he was at Hearts and he's very good technically as well as a good defender.

"The big boy Kiernan looks very good in training too.

"I was asked last season if I was worried about competition but I played 50 games, so I just work hard and hope the attitude I show in training gives me a shot at playing.

"But I know it will be difficult because the boys look quality.''

Meanwhile, Warburton's first official match as Ibrox boss will take place against their Championship title rivals Hibernian at Easter Road on July 25 after the pair were drawn together in the first round of the Petrofac Training Cup.