'Frustrated' Leon Balogun says Rangers made their own bed so have to lie in it following defeat at Killie

‘Frustrated’ Leon Balogun says Rangers have made their own bed and will now have to lie in it following Sunday’s defeat to Kilmarnock.

The 1-0 loss at Rugby Park leaves Philippe Clement’s side six points behind Celtic and Aberdeen in the Premiership after the first eight games.

They have now won eight, lost four and drawn two of their 14 games in all competitions this season and have only scored one league goal away from home.

Balogun replaced Robin Propper for the last half hour in Ayrshire and was on the park when Marley Watkins scored a late winner for the home side.

And he insists they have no excuses and only have themselves to blame for a “missed opportunity” to cut the gap to the top two who drew 2-2 in Glasgow on Saturday but still end the weekend even further ahead.

Speaking after the game, the Nigeria international defender said: “It is frustrating and disappointing, but we made our bed and we have to lie in it now, we have to take responsibility for that.

“It is extremely frustrating.

“I agree (with the manager that there are no excuses), you know beforehand that Kilmarnock is always a difficult place to come to, and that is not supposed to serve as an excuse, they have a really good home record for a reason.

“But you know that when you go into the season, you know it’s a tough place to play and you have to earn the right to play there.

“So it’s very simple, we never earned the right to play, we were not aggressive enough in decisive moments we never had that edge that you need to bring to this place in order to force the game on to them and in the end we were punished.

“It feels a bit harsh, but I think they had a clearer chances over the 90 minutes, and as I said we made that bed for ourselves and we have to lay in it now.

“It’s frustrating and I don’t like saying that here, but you have to have to be clear about it.

“It is a missed opportunity (to cut the gap at the top).”

Balogun also warned Rangers players have to start delivering or be prepared to face more anger from the support like they experienced at the end of the game on Sunday when many in the away end stayed behind to let their feelings known.

Fans had earlier unfurled banners which read, ‘the mismanagement of Rangers must stop and stop now’, coming after initial banners noted that the club has no permanent chairman, chief executive officer, or director of football operations and claiming ‘no clue’.

Meanwhile, a ‘one scapegoat’ message perhaps alluded to the warning Gers fans had been given by the club to stop using pyrotechnics after two UEFA fines.

Balogun is in his second spell at Rangers and as the Ibrox club lurched closer to crisis, he said: “The supporters really give their all to support us everywhere, near and far. But it comes with something. You can’t just take that for granted.

“I’m not saying anyone does. But you have to know that if you don’t deliver, it can be uncomfortable.

“And you have to try to live up to their expectations as much as you can.

“It’s not always reasonable what you then receive. I’m not for abuse of any sorts. But the criticism that comes up after a day like that, I think you have to face it.

“For me personally, and I can only speak for myself, I’ve been in many situations, worse situations than that, a lot worse.

“And like I said, you have to understand them. You have to understand what this club stands for, the history of the club.

“If you sign for this club, you have to know that there’s a lot of expectation. And if you don’t live up to that expectation, there might be really uncomfortable moments.

“And like I said, you won’t always think it’s reasonable, but you have to understand it. And you just have to get on with it, that’s what I’m trying to say.”

After just over a year in charge there has never been more questions about manager Clement, his style, his strategy and his team selection.

Balogun will “definitely” try to pass on his Rangers experience but stressed that the new players in the squad have to adapt fast.

He said: “You try to do this every game, every training session. And obviously, there’s new players, yes. Again, not an excuse.

“One might take a bit more time than the other. It also has to do with game time because you need to get used to certain things.

“But at the same time, you step into an environment that is not giving you a lot of time.

“So you have to adapt fast and know what’s coming. It’s not always easy to handle, I know that and I understand.

“But that’s just what this place is like and you have to live up to their expectations.

“And then, like I said, I think the supporters are entitled to their frustration.