JOHN Hartson today claimed the Rangers players had “pooed it” in the 4-0 drubbing by Celtic on Sunday - and insisted they deserve flak not under-fire manager Graeme Murty.

The Parkhead great admitted that he was stunned at how poor the Ibrox club were in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final defeat at Hampden.

The humiliating reverse has prompted many Rangers supporters to call for Murty, who has only been put in charge until the end of the season, to stand down.

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But, speaking after his charity foundation’s annual golf day at Trump Turnberry, Hartson stressed the players deserve to be castigated for the inept display instead of the man in charge.

“It was embarrassing,” he said. “They showed no desire, they didn’t get close to them, they didn’t even close down. It was as if they were in awe. They were just sitting back. It could have been seven or eight, they were battered.

"You’re sitting back and going: ‘Is this a testimonial?' Celtic were bumping it to each other, no-one laid a glove on Scott Brown.

“The performance was just shocking. The Rangers players need to go away and look at themselves because they play for a big club like Rangers. The fans they want better than that and Graeme Murty wants better than that."

Hartson added: “You can point to decision, the substitutions bringing in a centre-half on and having rows, but players have to go and play.

“They showed nothing and they’ve got a lot to answer for. Never mind Murty, it’s easy to point the blame at Graeme Murty and say he’s inexperienced and he picked the wrong team, but that’s nonsense.

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“Don’t point the blame at Graeme Murty, it’s the players. I wouldn’t go as far to say they are not good enough, but I would say they just pooed it."

Hartson was amazed that senior players like Russell Martin and James Tavernier and Rangers fans like Greg Docherty, Graham Dorrans, Andy Halliday and Jamie Murphy showed no fighting spirit.

“They have to look at themselves,” he said. “It’s like the former team I used to play in, senior players, players like Lenny (Neil Lennon) would let you know in no uncertain terms if you weren’t doing well.

Meanwhile, Hartson has criticised Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace for confronting Murty in the Rangers dressing room immediately after the game.

And Hartson has suggested the fact the Ibrox directors have decided to back Murty and suspend Miller and Wallace shows he may be kept on as manager beyond the summer.

“If it’s a senior player with the manager, do you expect that?” he said. “Shouldn’t he just be saying ‘Look, can I have a word with you?’ Then it happens on Monday morning. A senior player, good player, having a private chat with the manager. Maybe it should’ve happened that way.

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“If they’ve gone with Graeme Murty, then somebody in the board must like him. Somebody must be backing him. He’s obviously gone to the board of directors and the chairman and said ‘Look, I want this boy out’. It’s his decision.

“People are saying Rangers are looking for a new manager – but that tells me that it might not be Graeme Murty out in the summer, he might instead be stronger there than people think.”

John Hartson was speaking at the John Hartson Foundation annual golf day at Trump Turnberry. This event was for the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity. The Hartson Foundation aims to raise £1 million by 2020.