RICHARD FOSTER last night hit back at the Rangers supporters who subjected him to abuse on a social networking site for having the temerity to take his three-year-old son, Oliver, on a Christmas treat.

The Ibrox full-back can accept criticism of his own performances - indeed he himself is hugely unhappy about his own showing in the 4-0 defeat against Hibs last week - but he draws the line at being lambasted on the internet for finding the time to take his child to the carnival at the SECC.

The fact this is the first Old Firm crisis being played out in the era of social media provides a hidden, added dimension to the Rangers saga, with the whole affair causing 29-year-old Foster, however reluctantly, to block his Twitter account to new followers.

"The game was on December 27 and I took my little boy to the carnival on the 28th," said Foster. "I got home to a lovely few tweets basically saying I shouldn't be going to the carnival. That, for me, goes a little bit too far.

"I can take criticism of my performance, but when I'm having a bit of family time, that's my own time. I didn't see my son over Christmas due to my own personal situation, so that was the first chance I got to see him and I was vilified for it. It was done through social media, not through somebody actually speaking to me. If they had come up and said it to my face, I would have been able to explain.

"I then got abuse for blocking the people who were giving me abuse in the first place, which I found quite ironic," he added. "So you just change your settings and you only read tweets from people who follow you. It's a shame because I had plenty of nice tweets and even previously to that there were messages from young fans looking for my strips last season. It's a good way to converse with supporters but I've had to shut that side of it off."

Foster may never be the most popular of Rangers players, but the subtext here is the wider inference that this group of high-earning players just don't care enough about the jersey. Foster feels such critics are jumping to the wrong conclusion. Instead, the truth may be simpler: basic mistakes and a lack of quality has cost them dear.

"Sometimes the fans think we don't care, but that couldn't be further from the truth," said Foster. "We're hurting as much as anyone, especially after the Hibs result. The dressing room was as low as it's ever been. But our bad performances and results this season have never been through lack of caring. It's been lack of ability on the day and stupid mistakes. I made mistakes at the wrong times and I was nowhere near the standards I expect of myself never mind what others expect of me. And the whole team would all say the same."

After yesterday's meeting with Dumbarton, potential redemption arrives in the form of back-to-back meetings with Alloa Athletic and Hearts, two sides the Ibrox team have yet to beat this season. It may seem a long way away right now, but two big wins in early 2015 would be a sign that things are moving in a positive direction again after the trauma of the last fortnight.

They will, however, have to be achieved without Lewis Macleod, the club's best player this season, after the 20-year-old completed his move to Brentford for a fee thought to be in the region of £1 million. While Foster feels a return to basics, namely keeping things tight at the back, would serve Rangers well, caretaker boss Kenny McDowall will recall his club's sundry loan players this month.

He will assess whether any of them can make a positive impact on the team, knowing all the while that the circumstances for introducing a young player are hardly as propitious as they were three seasons back when Macleod was first thrown into the first team.

"It was an easier decision back then," said McDowall. "The team was full of experienced players and they helped him all the way. Everyone wants to see young players given a chance and I understand that. But you can also do a lot of damage to them if you pitch them in at the wrong time. I'll need to put in a lot of careful thought about if and when I do give someone a chance."