'We're not a dirty team'

Midfielder Scott Arfield was sent off with just under 20 minutes remaining of Rangers' Premier League match at Hearts on Sunday, but managed to hang on for all three points to return to the top of the table. 

The red card, given for a poor challenge on hosts' keeper Zdenek Zlamal, saw the side surpass the six red cards that they received in the entirety of last season. 

At just the half way point of Steven Gerrard's maiden campaign in charge, it seems that the side have a lack of discipline. 

Yet the 'Gers' boss insisted after the match that the statistics paint a different picture to the true nature of his squad. 

He said: "Scott's late and he knows he is. I've no complaints, but he isn't a dirty player and we aren't a dirty team even though we keep getting red cards. It is something we're trying to work on and trying to improve on. We've got a young team with some inexperience and at times we've got it wrong."

 

December 2, 2018

Gerrard continued: "We're not an aggressive team. We're fair. We want to compete, we want to fight all the way. We want to get that right but at times we have got it wrong."

Rangers went behind early on at Tynecastle, thanks to a Gareth McAuley own goal, but strikes from Connor Goldson and Alfredo Morelos gave Gerrard's men a half time lead.

Once in front, the visitors took control and remained comfortable, even after they lost Arfield to the red card. 

Gerrard concluded: "We're getting used to playing with 10 men and we're quite good at it. We've had many a practice at that. That's not to say I want to experience it again."