Rangers trio singled out as stalwarts accused of failing to handle pressure of Celtic title race

BBC pundit names three players he believes are struggling to cope with title demands

Former Rangers striker Rory Loy has accused three club stalwarts of failing to handle the pressure of the Scottish Premiership title race with Celtic.

The Ibrox side were held to a goalless draw in Dundee on Wednesday night and have won just one of their last five league games - against Hibs - with defeats to Ross County and Motherwell leaving them three points behind Celtic at the top of the table.

It means Rangers will have to win all of their remaining five league matches, including the Old Firm showdown at Celtic Park on May 5, to keep the destination of the title in their own hands. They must also overturn a -5 goal difference deficit or hope that Brendan Rodgers' side drop points elsewhere.

Rangers duo James Tavernier and Connor Goldson at full-time after the 0-0 draw at Dundee. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Loy pinpointed James Tavernier, Connor Goldson and John Lundstram as three players who he believes have struggled to cope with the demands of a close-run title race both this season and in previous campaigns with Celtic now odds-on to clinch three-in-a-row.

"I don’t think that they have dealt well with the pressure," Loy told BBC Scotland. “I think some of their stalwarts, Tavernier, Goldson, Lundstram, they’ve been in this position before and anytime that bit of pressure is applied they don’t seem to react well to it.

"They can’t seem to handle it all that well. They did one season of course, when Celtic capitulated and were not anywhere close to them. But when it comes to this time of the season, where it’s just after the winter break or closer to the end of the season, they don’t seem to be able to handle it very well.”