Russell Martin is already skating on thin ice as Rangers head coach. Two games into the league season. Seriously.
Put down in black and white, that seems faintly ridiculous. He’s just in the door, after all. However, the anger and boos and all-round bad energy heard and felt at Ibrox yesterday made it perfectly clear that the 39-year-old, hardly a popular appointment in summer, is not going to get the time and patience he would like from the support, at least, to rebuild a failing institution.
And things can only go on so long when the atmosphere inside a stadium gets as bad as this was at times.
James Tavernier, brought on as a sub during a second period that became progressively more desperate following the sending-off of Nasser Djiga on the hour for hauling down Fin Robertson and denying a goalscoring opportunity, cancelling out Ryan Astley’s opener with a penalty that hit the net on 91 minutes and 48 seconds changes nothing.
Neither does the fact Rangers looked like they might actually win this when Cyriel Dessers slotted the ball past Jon McCracken with 96 minutes on the clock — only for a check by VAR Matthew MacDermid to rule the effort offside.
This was largely awful from the home side. A performance full of so many of the problems and failings that have killed so many of the managers to have previously filled Martin’s office.
Martin was left frustrated again as Rangers stuttered to another draw in the league
James Tavernier strikes home the penalty which earned Rangers a point
CEO Patrick Stewart described the job going on at Ibrox as being akin to building an aeroplane while it’s flying. Well, the new gaffer had better get a move on with his end of the deal because events yesterday against a Dundee side widely tipped to be relegation fodder have sent his reign into a serious nosedive even at this early stage.
Two points from two games against Motherwell and Dundee players earning and costing a fraction of his first-team squad represents a big problem.
Essentially, this was just part of the same movie that has been playing over and over for years at Ibrox under a number of different managers and that’s not what Martin was brought in for.
Fresh from destroying Viktoria Plzen in a Champions League qualifier four days earlier, Dundee’s visit descended into an unholy mess. Marvellous in midweek and mince at the weekend is something Rangers have become famous for in recent years and Martin cannot afford that to become the mark of the team under his time in the hotseat.
Gassama goes down under pressure as Rangers are awarded a penalty
He needs to develop consistency. He needs to challenge Celtic. Right now, you wouldn’t bet on this collection of players being able to beat anyone in the Premiership.
Part of the logic in appointing Martin, despite a distinct coolness from the fanbase, was that he had a set style. In getting Southampton up from the Championship, the stats suggested he had a particularly good record in overcoming opposition who operated with a low block.
Well, Dundee, well organised but left to regret the passing-up of at least a couple of chances that would have killed this stone-dead before Tavernier’s leveller, offered him the perfect test of that here.
And he and his side failed. Prior to Tavernier’s late intervention, this was as bad as anything seen in recent seasons — and there’s been a heck of a lot of rubbish to wade through.
Right from the start, Rangers were just too slow, too ponderous, lacking urgency and zip and penetration. Lacking everything you need, really. The first half passed without them managing a shot on target and things got worse from there.
It is important to stress that Dundee did really well for the most part. They set their stall out from the beginning and made it tough. Really tough. Their discipline and organisation was on-point for the most part.
With the scoreline 1-0 and Rangers down to 10 men, there was a major opportunity to seal the deal with 12 minutes to play when Fin Robertson broke forward with Ashley Hay to his left.
Dessers celebrates having thought he’d won it for Rangers only to see VAR rule his effort out
Dundee were two against one in the Rangers half, but Robertson was too slow and substitute Nicolas Raskin recovered to put in a tackle. It was just the latest in a load of red flags flying at that point in time.
When Martin hauled off Lyall Cameron and Mohamed Diomande for Raskin and Kieran Dowell on 55 minutes, shortly after Astley’s opener, the boos and jeers were deafening. The place felt like it was ready to erupt.
Max Aarons eventually made way for Tavernier. It was a merciful act. Every time he touched the ball, the on-loan Bournemouth man was getting pelters.
That Tavernier’s time is up as a first-choice pick is clear. However, whether Aarons is a suitable replacement looks doubtful. He was given a bit of leeway in his first couple of displays because he was being fielded out of position on the left, but it’s hard to see right now why Martin brought him in.
Yes, it isn’t easy to play against teams that set out to defend, but that’s what Rangers are going to face most weeks. They have to deal with it.
There was a short period around the midpoint of the opening period in which Rangers did seem to click into gear, but their forward play never really looked like delivering a breakthrough and it all fizzled out quickly enough.
Joe Rothwell, Djeidi Gassama and Jefte had efforts that went wide of target, but never really threatened. Rather, it was the visitors who came closest in the opening 45 with Clark Robertson only being denied by the upright after the half-hour mark with a header from a Luke Graham cross.
Robertson hit the post again a few minutes later with another header, but linesman Jonathan Bell had flagged for offside. It was a warning for Rangers, though. A sign that, for all their troubles already this term, the Dens Park outfit were capable of causing consternation, particularly from set-pieces.
The result means it’s two more points dropped for Martin in the Premiership
That they then went on to open the scoring from one spoke to the fragility of the home side. On 51 minutes, a Callum Jones free-kick was flicked on by Clark Robertson and Astley sent a looping header over Jack Butland.
In truth, the visitors looked to be cruising after Djiga had rightly been sent packing by referee Don Robertson on 60 minutes, but saw their hopes of a first win at Ibrox since 2001 crumble in time added-on when Drey Wright brought down Gassama in the box.
Tavernier sent keeper McCracken the wrong way from the spot to spark off a nutty finale which, in addition to seeing a disallowed effort from Dessers, also saw Astley head just over from a Fin Robertson corner with the scoreline 1-1.
Dundee should have won. Just like Motherwell should have beaten Rangers last week. And late leveller or not, the boos that rang around Ibrox at time-up told their own story about where Martin and his supposed revolution stands.
Rangers fans know what they are watching. And the knives are out.
