Derek Cornelius says Rangers have been their own worst enemy

Derek Cornelius insists Rangers have to stop the type of self-inflicting damage which proved so costly in the 2-1 defeat by Sturm Graz on Thursday night.

The Light Blues got off to the worst possible start to their Europa League clash in Austria when they conceded possession from a James Tavernier throw-in before Slovenia striker Tomi Horvat fired past keeper Jack Butland and slack marking at a free-kick in the 35th minute allowed Georgia midfielder Otar Kiteishvili to drive in a second.

Gers best player, attacker Djeidi Gassama, made it 2-1 four minutes after the break with a terrific strike but Russell Martin’s side could not get back on level terms and after losing 1-0 to Genk last week, Rangers have zero points from two Euro league phase fixtures.

Defender Cornelius, 27, who will shrug off a knock for the trip to Falkirk on Sunday, said: “Yeah, frustrating. We don’t start the match well at all. We find ourselves down 2-0 pretty quickly. Not necessarily from what they’ve done, it’s more so what we’ve done to ourselves.

“We try to react in the second half, but ultimately we fall short. So it’s frustrating.

“We speak about it, but it always seems that we find ourselves open in different circumstances.

“One week maybe it’s transitions, another week, I don’t know, free kicks, whatever, and now it’s off a throw-in.

“It seems that we keep having the same conversation as to why, but I just think it’s a mentality thing, because the way we showed in the second half, we showed that we are capable of being a really good group and a really good team.

“But it’s like we try and pick our moments and in football it’s two halves and we have to know that.

“It comes down to each individual, right?

“We all control what we do on the pitch, so we all have to look at ourselves in the mirror and take responsibility for what’s not going right.

“We can’t look and point fingers now. Each individual has to be better themselves and ultimately that’s going to help us.”

Cornelius, however, insists the players are clear about what Martin and his coaches are asking the players to do on the pitch.

He said: “I think we have clear instructions. I think it’s an easy way out as a player to just say it’s a manager or it’s this reason, it’s that reason.

“That’s the easy way out because then you’re deflecting responsibility from yourself.

“But ultimately, it’s us on the pitch and we need to be performing.

“So I think each individual, as I said, needs to be better and we need to see where stuff is not going well and ultimately get results.”