RANGERS really don’t like Dens Park.
There is something about this famous old Scottish football ground that brings out the absolute worst in the Ibrox side, no matter who the manager is. This was a dreadful performance from Steven Gerrard’s men against a team, less we forget, which began the day bottom of the Premiership.
Rangers had lost on their two previous visits to Dens and this will have felt like another defeat.
Dundee played with ten men from the 18th minute and to their great credit ran themselves into the ground to get a point which takes them out of last place for the first time this season.
Jim McIntyre has at last got something going on Tayside. For sheer spirit alone they earned this result with Paul McGowan in particular just superb.
Rangers were denied a perfectly good goal but the manager, and indeed supporters, won’t hide behind that as an excuse. The second half performance in particular was wretched, the suspended Alfredo Morelos and Scott Arfield were badly missed.
Kenny Miller will probably start to slow down in his fifties. He scored Dundee’s goal and put one hell of a shift on his own upfront until even he tired. He really is something else for someone who will turn 39 on December 23.
Rangers could have gone level with Celtic on points but got what they deserved. If there is to be a title challenge from Ibrox them games such as this one must be taken care of. By the end of the match, few in blue were brave enough to be the one to make something happened.
And this was noticed by their manager. It would come as little surprise if a few were not seen again for a good while.
The day ended and began well for Dundee who are now unbeaten in four matches.
There is something to be said about on occasion playing a long ball over the top. The less said about Connor Goldson’s attempt to defend the situation after minutes .
Nathan Ralph’s high pass was hardly a hit and hope, with Miller about there is always hope, but the Rangers centre-half allowed the ball to bounce and the veteran to get his foot onto it, which deceived Allan McGregor and gave the home support reason to celebrate. Joe Worrall hardly covered himself in glory. He had a poor afternoon,
Dundee’s joy wasn’t to last long.
As seems to be the way this season, a controversial refereeing decision was to change a game.
With 17 minutes gone, Ralph unceremoniously clattered Daniel Candeias to the ground right on the line of the Dundee box. Mr Muir had the easy task of awarding a free-kick and then after deliberation picked up the red card from his pocket.
Sure, it was a cynical foul but if the sending off was for being the last man then it has to be said there were Dundee players about. In saying all of that, it was difficult to feel too much sympathy man as it was a poor challenge.
Dundee were far from happy but Andy Halliday took no notice and he struck the ball sweetly and into the top corner of the net.
In fairness to Dundee, they kept up their tempo and, within a minute of going behind, Miller forced a save from McGregor after further uncertainty in the centre of Rangers defence.
We didn’t have long to wait until the next moment of controversy.
With half an hour gone, Ryan Kent made his way down the right and his low cross allowed Lafferty to direct the ball home from a few yards. The Northern Irishman’s timing was spot-on but the assistant wrongly put hiss flag up for an offside which simply didn’t exist.
Dundee got to half-time level which their graft and determination deserved, albeit Rangers began to find ways to carve them open which was met with some frantic defending.
Halliday did come close to a second goal of his own when he got to the front post and ahead of his man but he put his shot past having done the hard work of meeting Jordan Rossiter’s cross.
Before the break, Lafferty and Genserix Kusunga had a coming together right in front of the fourth official. They were both at it but Lafferty did kick out which was missed by Muir who booked the Dundee man. Lafferty got lucky.
The second 45 minutes exposed Rangers’ lack of guile. They never once looked as if they were going to get a second goal and that will worry Gerrard.
Rangers had almost all off the possession as you would expect but their final delivery was atrocious. Morelos was missed. The ball went sideways, backwards and when Dundee did have to do some defending they dealt with it.
The best chance, and that’s stretching it, came when Ryan Jack’s clever pass presented Eros Grezda with a shot from ten yards when Andrew Boyle got across to make a superb block.
The away support grew more restless as time ticked on. Dundee sat so deep they were in danger of ending up in Perth. But it was up to Rangers to break them down but too many crossed were simple enough for Hamilton to catch without much bother.
And, strangely, when Dundee did get forward they at least hinted at nicking a goal
Rangers finally got a shot on target with 15 minutes to go but Jack’s shot from 20 yards was weak and Hamilton had a comfortable save.
With minutes remaining, Lafferty took the ball on the run, a simple touch for an international player, and he put it right out the park. That summed up Rangers.
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