TELL STALE WARNING SIGNS

Butland sidesteps banner talk as tables tell their own story in his book

- BY ANDY NEWPORT

YOU won't find Jack Butland taking offence at the methods used by the Rangers faithful to voice their frustration at the ways things have fallen apart so far this season.

But the big Ibrox keeper reckons his teammates certainly should be feeling a personal sting when they look at the two league tables spelling out just how far they've tumbled.

A team that roared its way to the quarterfinals of the Europa League last year now finds itself propping up the 36-team ladder having lost all four of their games.

And if a humiliating exit on the continent isn't bad enough, things aren't much better domestically with Rangers looking like also-rans, a huge 14 points adrift of Premiership leaders Hearts.

The state of disunion was summed up during Thursday's 2-0 defeat to Roma as the furious fan base took aim, quite literally, at Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell.

Banners depicting the chief executive and sporting director in a snipers crosshairs certainly will not win points for good taste.

But Butland opted not to point fingers at the punters who have paid through the nose only to be shortchanged by a squad that had £40million spent on it over the summer.

Instead, he reckons his colleagues in the dressing room should be insulted by the lowly position they now find themselves at home and abroad.

Butland said: “We're all aware the banners have been there but we've also seen the amazing tifos they've put up.

“There's a balance to it but I'm not going to get involved in it. The fans pay their hardearned money to come watch us. It's never nice, we don't want to be in this situation where there is that.