STUART McCALL, the Rangers interim manager, last night admitted the Scottish Premiership play-off final is "Motherwell's to lose" as he prepared for what will be perhaps his last game at the Ibrox club hampered by lengthy injury list.
Already 3-1 down after Thursday night's first-leg match at Ibrox, McCall returns to Fir Park for the first time since he left the club at the end of last year in the knowledge that his former employers are heavy favourites to finish off the job.
Kenny Miller is believed to be one of the Rangers players who are struggling to be fit and even of those who will take the field, many of them are, to use to words of their manager, "running on empty."
McCall has some big decisions to make, including whether to start Kris Boyd in what would definitely be his final appearance for the club, against their Premiership opponents who are so close to avoiding falling out of the top tier of Scottish football for the first time in 30 years.
"In fairness, Motherwell can only throw it away now, " said McCall. "With the experience they've got in their ranks, it is theirs to lose.
"But that first goal could be so important. It doesn't have to come in the first 15 or 20 minutes but what we have to do is make sure we defend better than we did on Thursday, to give us any sort of chance whatsoever. We have to make sure we do our jobs properly at set-plays."
One of the reasons for McCall's bleak mood was that Murray Park on Friday afternoon did not make a pleasant sight for the former Scotland international.
There are more than a few with niggles and many have little left to give after such a long season. To make matters worse, defender Darren McGregor is suspended for the game.
Asked how many injuries he had to deal with, McCall replied; "Too many. To be honest I haven't seen the boys. I left them with the physio and masseur. I worked this morning with the 14 that didn't play.
"There are some major doubts about a few of them, and question marks whether a few of them are just running on empty. Sometimes you just need to say, 'you know what? Let's go with whatever we've got.' We have to deal with Darren's suspension and we've got other injuries as well.
"The focus was on them (the 14) because three or four of them will be involved. The rest of the boys just came in for a cool down and a massage and a head count of the injuries."
McCall still believes, however, and the Rangers support should take comfort from this. All he will ask of his players is that they give him and their club absolutely everything on a day that just might define their careers.
"I don't like saying we have nothing to lose, because we have a place in the Premiership to lose," said McCall. "No-one is going to give us much hope outside our dressing room. So whoever gets the opportunity to wear that jersey on Sunday has to give everything they've got.
"I don't want any faint-hearted, weak-willed or nervous players on Sunday. I just want men. I want people to take the game by the scruff of the neck and do everything they can.
"Let's guarantee that they give everything from the first whistle to the last whistle. It's the last game of the season. They can go away and rest after it, but don't come off the park on Sunday thinking you didn't give everything they've got.
"I can't point the finger at them for lack of endeavour, effort or desire since I came in. Maybe just a lack of quality and poor defending at times."
McCall is one of life's optimists, but even he admitted, when speaking to the press on Friday afternoon, that he would need a full 24 hours after the 3-1 defeat to properly gather his thoughts and get himself ready for what will be one of the greatest challenges of his football career.
"At the moment I feel I have been 12 rounds with a heavyweight boxer and punched in the gut," said. McCall "I feel a bit winded, a bit hurt, a bit wounded but I know I'll feel better tomorrow and I will be 100 percent right for Sunday. That's the same for the players. Naturally, it's a bit raw in the aftermath of Thursday night. We still feel a little bit low, understandably, but come Sunday it will be different."
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