Steven Thompson has fired a brutal standards dig at the current Rangers team, insisting the Ibrox side are miles off the required levels to play for the Glasgow club.

After sacking Michael Beale on Sunday, things went from bad to worse for Gers as the club were defeated by Aris Limassol in Cyprus last night.

Steven Davis is currently in interim charge and he admitted after the game that his squad is hurting with confidence at an all-time low.

Former Rangers striker Thompson was covering the game for BBC Scotland and he was taken aback by the lack of reaction from his former side.

He explained: "Aris Limassol aren't a top European side. They didn't have to do too much to win against a very poor Rangers team. It's not good enough, plain and simple. It's a team devoid of confidence. Too many players way below par with their performances.

"To play for Rangers it takes leaders, big characters, players that roll their sleeves up and lead from the front. Not one of those players took that responsibility. They looked to each other for help. They needed a reaction. These players have again fallen short of the acceptable standards at Rangers.

"For any potential incoming manager, it'll be very difficult to get something out of this team. They don't look like a side that can win games. They're fragile, lacking confidence and creativity."

Steven Davis after the game called for unity throughout the club.  Ahead of the trip to St Mirren on Sunday, Davis said: “I still believe we have some real quality players. Obviously, confidence has been hit.

“You go through these periods in your career and it’s a really difficult moment.

“As I say by sticking together you make sure to do the basics right in terms of hard work and application which they have been doing.

“It’s important we continue that and things will turn because I believe in the qualities of the squad.

“We’ll get players back which will help. The most important thing is right now is us being a group together.

“It was a really difficult night because we felt a real opportunity to come here and build on the Betis game.

“I think we caused a lot of our own problems in the game. Obviously, with the two goals we give away we’re really disappointed with and when that happens you have a mountain to climb.

“Firstly I’ve got to take some responsibility. In the first half we kept trying to play in the middle of the pitch when it wasn’t really on, they were good at getting transitions from that with the pace they had up front which caused us problems all night.

“Whenever you go behind in a second half you must throw some caution to the wind at certain points.

“We tried to simplify the game really, trying to get the ball in behind, get it wide and cross the ball into the box and ultimately we didn’t do enough to take something from the game.

“In terms of the effort of the players, I thought they tried to keep going till the end and in terms of the energy they put in, I couldn’t ask for any more in that respect.

“There wasn’t a lack of effort, we’d never question that from the dressing room but it is a really difficult moment that everyone is in.

“When that happens you maybe start to make the wrong decision and things like that.

“Sunday’s coming up and it’s a really quick turnaround. We’re hurting from tonight but it’s important as a group we stick together.”