Lundstram aiming for Rangers to maintain standards after Hearts victory

Rangers must maintain the high standards set against Hearts following a disappointing defeat by Celtic, according to John Lundstram.

The Ibrox side slumped to a 3-0 loss at Celtic Park last week, but bounced back with an impressive 5-0 victory against Robbie Neilson’s men.

Lundstram, who has struggled for form this season, was amongst those in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team who turned in a good performance against the Tynecastle side.

And the midfielder acknowledged that that level must be the minimum going forward as the title race enters the final stretch of the season.

“It’s got to be, definitely. I think you can see with Rangers, you’ve got to be on the front foot at all times and that’s something that we took into Hearts,” he said of Rangers’ performance.

“We’ve got to keep it going now, that’s the minimum really.”

🎙️ PRESS CONFERENCE: John Lundstram spoke to the media ahead of Wednesday's match against Hibernian at Ibrox. pic.twitter.com/fPYKyGhAkO
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) February 8, 2022

The 27-year-old Englishman described the size of Rangers as “hard to put into words”, as he explained how he has gotten to grips with the expectation levels in Glasgow.

“It’s definitely, definitely bigger at Rangers, 100%” said Lundstram of the scrutiny on the players.

“I knew how much of a big club it was before I joined but I didn’t quite realise it was as big as it is and the scrutiny that you come under to perform.

“Of course, you get that at other clubs and you’ve got to perform week in, week out wherever you’re at of course.

“But, a club like Rangers, it’s such a big club, it’s hard to put into words really.”

Lundstram also insisted that players have got to be honest with themselves and each other when standards drop below what is expected of them.

He said: “Things get said, you need to be truthful with each other and you need to be truthful with yourself.

“I think you know within yourself if you’ve done enough in a game or if you haven’t done enough in a game.

“You’ve just got to be honest with yourself and got to be honest with each other.

“So, of course the players speak to each other and we say what we think and it’s needed, it’s a push on, you’ve got to have that, you’ve got to push each other.

“We’re all pulling in one direction at the end of the day, so it’s got to be done.”