CARETAKER’S CLASS ACT
Miller’s the star pupil but interim boss ensures full squadmake grade at Hearts
ONCE again, Rangers didn’t make it three-in-arow. This time, it was more than welcomed.
The failure to string a hat-trick of victories together will go down as one of the most damning statistics of Pedro Caixinha’s Ibrox reign. On Saturday, Graeme Murty made sure the winless run stopped at two.
It is said that a week is a long time in football but even by Rangers’ standards there was a lot to cram into the six days between their matches at Hampden and Murrayfield. The Betfred Cup semi-final defeat to Motherwell was only just the start. The fall-out was dominated by talk of Fabio Cardoso’s broken nose and Bruno Alves’ kick-out as the Scottish FA and Compliance Officer Tony McGlennan came under scrutiny. So, too, did the Gers squad as Caixinha opened not-sofriendly fire on his own players in a last-ditch attempt to shift the blame and save his job. Having sustained a fatal blow against the Steelmen, it was Kilmarnock that put the final nail in the coffin on Wednesday as Ryan Jack was sent off, Daniel Candeias missed a penalty and Chris Burke earned Steve Clarke’s side a point.
Within hours, Caixinha was gone and the search for his replacement had got underway as the Ibrox board counted the cost of the biggest gamble of their tenure.
It was to Graeme Murty that they once again turned and to the Under-20 boss that they owe a debt of gratitude after he ensured a tumultuous week ended on a high note and victory over Hearts.
As Murty guided his side from the touchline, Kenny Miller, restored to the team as captain, led from the front and produced a match-winning performance.
The narrative around Rangers may not always be positive, but it is certainly nev- er dull as events on and off the park continue to produce talking points and spark debate.
For 90 minutes on Saturday, football was the only thing that mattered. For players and supporters alike, it would have been a welcome change.
THE meeting with Craig Levein’s side was never going to be straightforward for Rangers, and so it proved when Kyle Lafferty found the top corner with a stunning free-kick midway through the first half.
That was as good as it got for the Jambos, though. Miller then took centre stage and the afternoon would belong to Murty and his side.
It was the 37-year-old that grabbed the goals and the headlines but this was a result
earned through more than Miller’s deflected first-half strike, neat header after the break and the clinical finish from Josh Windass after he collected a terrific pass from the returning striker.
The save that Wes Foderingham made from Ross Callachan just after Hearts had opened the scoring was crucial, as was his fingertip stop to deny Harry Cochrane before the interval.
In front of the keeper, the central pairings of Ross McCrorie and Danny Wilson and Ryan Jack and Jason Holt gave Rangers a foundation upon which to build and play.
And in the final third Miller and Alfredo Morelos combined well throughout, especially when the Colombian showed strength and vision to set his Interim Rangers manager Graeme Murty (left) watches on as Kenny Miller bags his brace at Murrayfield on Saturday forward partner on his way to opening the scoring.
It wasn’t the complete performance from Rangers, but it was a professional one. The points were hard earned, but well deserved.
Murty praised his players for showing ‘real character and grit, and no little class’ as they ensured the gap to Aberdeen remained at five points and the one to Celtic was cut to six on Saturday.
Those same characteristics summed up Murty’s contribution as well and the chorus from the 14,000-strong travelling support near the end of the match was well deserved.
The 42-year-old won many admirers during his six-game stint as interim boss earlier this year as he assumed power from Mark Warburton and handled the transition of power to Caixinha in March.
MURTY will be better for that experience and while the situation has changed at Rangers, the remit remains the same for the Under-20 boss.
He was able to hand over the reins to Caixinha with the squad in a positive frame of mind on the back of the Old Firm draw at Parkhead and he will want to do likewise to the incoming manager this time around.
The visit of Partick Thistle is next on the schedule for Rangers and that will be the focus for Murty and his players as the Ibrox board continue their search for the new man to assume control.
Games must still be won and points must still be collected while that process is ongoing as Rangers look to ensure the deficit to their rivals above them doesn’t grow unnecessarily once again.
Having emerged victorious at Murrayfield, the matches against Thistle and Hamilton either side of the international break now give the Light Blues a chance to finally break that three-in-a-row hoodoo that hung over Caixinha’s head throughout his seven month tenure.
A new era will begin sooner rather than later at Ibrox. Rangers will hope the turning point of the campaign has already been reached.