text: As manager of Rangers, Stuart McCall has learned to tolerate supporters booing their own players. Growing up watching Leeds United, he was less forgiving. 'I remember Terry Yorath and Ray Hankin coming in for stick,' he recalled. 'As a teenager I used to get into fights because of it. 'I remember standing at the back of Leeds kop, maybe I was 15 or 16 year old and Yorath and Hankin were getting booed. Terry Yorath had just taken over from Billy Bremner and it was boooooo… . Rangers manager Stuart McCall has had to get used to his players being booed by supporters . Lee McCulloch, the Rangers captain, was booed for an error that led to a goal against Raith Rovers . McCall hopes that for the time that he is manager of Rangers, McCulloch will be the last player to get booed . 'They had a song for Ray Hankin and it went: 'Ray Hankin, Ray Hankin' and half of them would then shout: 'S**t' and this is while he was warming up for the game. 'That's when I got into fights, with the people shouting s**t. 'Tell me, how's that going to help any individual when that's the reaction to their name just being read out?' Those sour memories returned last weekend when Rangers skipper Lee McCulloch was the object of frustration from the Ibrox stands. Culpable for a Raith Rovers goal, the veteran defender suffered the embarrassment of being booed by his own supporters. He was hardly the first to suffer that fate. So long as McCall remains manager of Rangers – an unknown currently – he hopes McCulloch will be the last. 'I've no problem with a team being booed off at half time or full time, that's fine. People pay their money. 'But I think the individual thing is not on. It was sad to hear last week. 'The good thing was that within minutes of it happening most of the supporters actually turned it round and he was getting backing again. 'We were losing 2-0 and I think people thought: 'You know what, we need to help the team.' It spun itself round and then the majority of the supporters were clapping. 'If it hadn't turned itself round, I don't think we would've got back in the game.' In the west of Scotland, grown men rarely express their feelings. To sympathise would only have drawn attention to the captain's predicament. McCulloch has made no reference to the incident to McCall and vice versa. 'He just wants to get on with it,' added the manager. 'There's not a lot you can say anyway. 'I remember a situation with Michael Higdon at Motherwell. I had to put out a message saying: 'Lay off.' He ended up with 27 goals and player of the year. 'It doesn't help anybody if a player is booed. Yes, we all understand and accept frustration in the stands. But booing one of your own players isn't going to help. 'I fully accept that when you boo your team at half time and full time that's everyone's prerogative. But it's certainly not going to help anyone by scapegoating an individual. 'Is it going to make him feel good and feel like he's going to flourish or is he going to go into himself? Surely that's common sense.' Should McCulloch play against Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday– and the indications are he will – the defiant, thrawn streak in away supporters will no doubt prompt a different response. Such is the must-win nature of the game and the raucous Gorgie atmosphere that an exaggerated show of support is likely. McCall expects the 36-year-old - a strong, experienced footballer - to be fine. 'Lee has a leadership mentally and he has been about. It's good he's not one of the younger ones. 'He's had highs and lows and he's been there and seen it and represented Rangers terrifically well in his career. 'Hopefully that's it and, although it happened, the overriding feeling for me was that other supporters turned it on its head and that made it better.' The need for Rangers to find some unity at Tynecastle is obvious enough. They must beat champions Hearts and hope Hibs – yet to beat Falkirk this season – show the mental fragility many now regard as their trademark. If Rangers do attain second place, it means two less play-off games. Perhaps more importantly it also avoids another trip to the artificial pitch of Queen of the South where they have already lost 2-0 and 3-0 this season. 'Whoever gets Queen of the South will have a hard game,' said McCall. 'We lost down there twice, but we did beat them once at Ibrox and drew with them, too. 'If we have to go down there, we would be confident because we would have to play them at a full Ibrox as well, which would give everyone a huge lift. 'They have done really well and had two good results against us, but if we play Queen of the South and Hibs - or just Hibs - they will be tough games. 'We've obviously got to win to get second and that's what we'll try to do. Obviously, there is a slight advantage to finishing second with playing two less games. But when it comes down to it, you are just going to have win football games. McCulloch is in line to play for Rangers against league leaders Hearts at the weekend . McCall questioned whether fans booing their own players has any positive impact upon the team . 'If we manage to win at Hearts and Hibs don't win, there will be no great celebrations from our point of view because we won't have achieved anything. 'We've got into the play-offs but, either way, all the hard work is in front of us. 'We're aiming to win on Saturday, we think we can win, but I just really want a good, strong performance to go into the play-offs.'
target: Captain Lee McCulloch was booed by Rangers supporters last weekend .
  McCulloch made an error that led to Raith Rovers hitting the back of the net .
  Rangers play league leaders Hearts in the Scottish Championship Saturday .