ALLY MCCOIST launched into a damning rant over Rangers' defending after a dire first-half against Ajax.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men fell three goals behind in the first 45 minutes as Edson Alvarez, Steven Berghuis and Mohammed Kudus scored to give the hosts a comfortable lead.

And for McCoist it was three "horrendous" goals to concede as he voiced his concerns over the lack of spirit, belief and fight in the Rangers team.

Slamming the display in the first-half when told seven of the players starting featured in the Europa League final last season, McCoist said: "You'd never have known Darrell. That's really poor...really, really poor.

"There's no spirit, doesn't look like there's any fight, there's certainly a lack of belief, if no belief at all.

"Two of the three goals defensively have been horrendous. You can argue the second one is a little bit fortunate.

"But, where do you start, there's just absolutely no positives at all. It's been a really, really poor 45 minutes which has just been a continuation from the weekend.

McCoist - on punditry duty for BT Sport - then went on to dissect every goal from the first-half as he questioned Rangers' defensive frailty from set pieces.

Citing Leon Balogun, Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey's exits in the summer in his criticism of Rangers' defence the pundit questioned the Rangers backline over the inability to win crucial defensive headers from set plays in particular.

Furious McCoist when asked if Sands should have competed for header to prevent Alvarez' cheap opener, said: "Of course he's got to attack it, Darrell! Sands has got to attack it.

"Goldson is in front of him, Alvarez actually walks onto Sands and then comes off him.

"The problem is - and I keep harping on about it - you lose Balogun, you lose Aribo, you lose Bassey; you lose three good players.

"But you lose a real physicality in your team. You lose defensive strength at set plays.

"You've only got one player in your team right now looking at that Rangers team, you've got one player and he's not been great at it by the way and that's Goldson that looks capable of winning a defensive header.

"Now in the modern day, the modern game it's particularly at set plays, that is not good enough.

"That's a terrible goal to lose. Sometimes at a set play somebody will get a run on you and they'll get a flick and they'll get a header and beat you to the ball. That you can accept but a free header like that...it's not the first time and nobody on the post!"

And McCoist went on to criticise the defending for the quickfire second and third goals from Ajax.

He added: "Look, they get the break a couple of times. But Barisic has got to get out to him, he's got to get out to him earlier.

"Here, look at his position there, I know he has come inside but as soon as he goes he's got to get out I think a little bit sharper.

"Sands gets a foot on it. Should he leave it for the goalkeeper to deal with? Probably. Does he know what's behind him? No, I don't think he does. That is just kind of one of these goals, but it's preventable.

"This one here, Tavernier comes to Kudus - now the finish is out of this world, I need to tell you that for a kick-off, that's an arrow.

"But once the ball comes there, at the very least he should be made to go back towards his own goal.

"He should not be allowed to get turned and get a run on you and get a physicality to put his body across you because this is what can happen.

"When you are playing against top players in the Champions League, this is the best competition in the world, that is what can happen.

"When the ball gets played up to him initially, he is allowed to turn which he cannot afford to be. At the very least the ball has to go back towards his own goal where it came from."