Butland understands fan frustration

Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland believes supporters are entitled to vent their frustration given the team's performances and results this season.

Anger was directed at chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell during the 2-0 Europa League defeat against Roma.

That defeat left Rangers bottom of their group and without a single point, having lost all four fixtures this campaign - part of a run of seven straight European reverses.

The Ibrox club were also defeated in the League Cup final last weekend, with Celtic winning 3-1 after extra time.

"Fans expect more than what perhaps we've delivered," Butland said.

"It's certainly how I feel and I know the group feels as well that we definitely need to set our standards and know we should be higher than where we are in competitions and done better than what we have.

"The fans are entitled to vent their frustrations.

"It's been directed at us as players, rightly so at times, but this is our group right now and this is what we need to move forward with.

"We've got a really big stretch of games now until January where I believe if we get things moving in the right direction and learn some of the lessons, we can make things a lot more positive than they feel right now."

Rangers travel to face Dundee on Sunday, five points behind Celtic and 14 behind Premiership leaders Hearts with a game in hand over the Tynecastle club.

"Expecting a tough one," Butland said of the test against Steven Pressley's side.

"Never easy and obviously because of our own performances, teams perhaps feel like they've got more of a chance.

"That's something that we need to stamp out quickly and we can do that by going there on the weekend and putting together a really good performance and taking away the three points. That's the only thing that we can do - focus on that."