STEVEN GERRARD admits he didn't see Rangers' Premiership collapse coming as history repeated itself in the top flight title race.
The Light Blues saw their silverware ambitions fall away 12 months ago as they failed to build on their Old Firm victory before the winter break.
And the same fate has befallen Gerrard and his players this time around as the win at Parkhead has been wiped out by loses to Hearts and Kilmarnock either side of the draw with Aberdeen.
The 2-1 defeat at Rugby Park last night could prove to be the final blow to their title aspirations and Gerrard is bewildered at why his side have been as sluggish since returning from Dubai last month.
“On the evidence of the second half, yes,” he said when asked if it was right to question his players’ bottle.
“We came here tonight and it was a pressure game in a stadium where you know you are going to be under the cosh or under the heat.
“You know you are going to sustain some pressure against you. The reality is that we couldn’t cope tonight.
“I didn’t expect it. I thought we had enough and had improved and progressed enough to handle the return a lot better than last season. But it’s certainly something I will continue to look at as closely as I can.
“Look, we go to the next game. That's all we can do. I'm not in a position now (to make changes) and it's not the time to say I want to make wholesale changes.
"I've still got belief and confidence in this group of players. We've let ourselves down tonight in the second half. We've let our supporters down.
"But this is the same group of players who had an incredible first half to the season, so we go to the next game and I expect a reaction.”
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