Kenny Miller admitted he and his Rangers team-mates deserved their "kick up the backside" from an irate Walter Smith ahead of Sunday's Co-operative Insurance Cup final.
Striker Miller confirmed Smith had given his side a real dressing down after watching them squander a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 in Sunday's Active Nation Scottish Cup quarter-final against Dundee United.
Miller said of Smith's rant: "Maybe we need it. We've had it maybe two or three times this season - everybody's had a wee kick up the backside to get our focus back on the job at hand."
He added: "Sunday was another case of that.
"Being 3-1 up at home, the game should really have been seen out and been put to bed. The last thing we need is another game, another fixture having to be rescheduled.
"It's maybe a timely reminder that nothing's been won yet and we really need to work hard to gain any success this year."
Smith usually places assistant manager Ally McCoist in charge for cup games but could not hold his tongue after Sunday's display.
Miller, 30, admitted the Rangers boss did not pull any punches in his assessment.
"It's probably fair to say, aye," Miller said. "All the goals we lost were pretty poor from our point of view, the first one and last one especially.
"Obviously, we're disappointed and the manager let us know how he felt about it."
