Motherwell manager Terry Butcher refused to accept that his side froze as they were thumped 5-1 by Rangers in the CIS Insurance Cup final.
"We simply did not turn up today and I can only apologise to our fans," Butcher told BBC Sport.
"I am disappointed at the way we played, but I wouldn't say we froze - we just did not play well enough.
"We started badly, got a goal back, and then finished badly, but it was a big thrill for us to reach the final."
Motherwell, who had not won a trophy since 1991, or the League Cup since 1951, suffered the biggest losing margin since the 1971 final.
"It is always at the back of your mind that it may go to six, seven or eight and they certainly had enough chances to do that," he said.
"We didn't give ourselves a platform to build on with the two early goals, but full credit to Rangers.
"When they get opportunities, they end up in the back of the net, which is a horrible habit sometimes."
~RS~a~RS~Domestic~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~33~RS~){kind=small}
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
