STILL NOT UP TO
Ragged Rangers clinch third spot but struggle to overcome ten-man Hearts
A MESSY afternoon at Ibrox yielded something tangible for Rangers and offered rare encouragement to Hearts coach Ian Cathro, whose players’ produced an enterprising performance after being reduced to ten men.
Ibrox boss Pedro Caixinha celebrated after goals from Joe Garner and Barrie McKay nailed down third place in the Premiership table but this was thoroughly unconvincing fare from Rangers.
In a week when the manager has called for an end to the flow of sensitive information from the Ibrox dressing room, his defence continues to spring just as many leaks.
Caixinha had described his team’s previous performance here, the 5-1 mauling by Celtic, as a disaster. This was evidently better but hardly the most solid of victories.
Rangers scored early and enjoyed a man advantage for more than two thirds of the match after Prince Buaben was red-carded but were never fully in control.
Indeed, it required a goalkeeping mishap from Hearts debutant Viktor Noring to yield the winner for the hosts, while the sponsors’ choice of 38-year-old Clint Hill as man of the match spoke volumes of Rangers’ predicament.
The veteran was responsible for some sterling last-ditch defending, but the fact he was needed to pull out the stops at the end of a week when he has been told he will not be offered a new contract is a dual concern for a support which spent much of the game in an agitated state.
In that sense, the afternoon could be claimed as a tactical success for Cathro. The 30-year-old has endured plenty of scrutiny since succeeding Robbie Neilson last December and this was a return to the scene of his first game in charge.
At the conclusion of that 2-0 defeat, he made a point of walking over to the visiting fans and issuing a pledge that his team would do better.
The ensuing evidence has not convinced but this was a significant improvement.
Rangers took the lead after overloading the flank being protected by Hearts’ young full-back Liam Smith. James Tavernier led the charge and then fed Kenny Miller on the overlap. The veteran’s deep cross invited Garner to descend upon Buaben at the back post and the striker won the battle, nodding down and back across Noring and into the far corner.
Even after conceding, Hearts were threatening to make a game of it in an open first half.
Wes Foderingham saved to deny Isma Goncalves, while the same player was denied by Hill’s block after Jon Toral’s midfield dallying conceded possession.
Sam Nicholson had also fired off a couple of shots but the winger’s attacking efforts only lengthened the space into which Tavernier and Miller were stretching Smith.
Under Neilson, Hearts tended to be tough and well organised. Buaben’s misdemeanour, when he tugged back Josh Windass as he raced onto a Garner flick, betrayed a lack of positional discipline.
There were a few token grumbles from the Hearts players towards referee Bobby Madden as he flashed the red card but Buaben remained silent as he trudged off.
It was proving a busy baptism for Noring, chosen by Cathro to prove his mettle as a challenger to the club’s nominated No 1 Jack Hamilton. Even before the sendingoff, the Swede had saved from Garner and was then called on as David Bates headed on target before Hill hit the post from a set-piece.
Cathro reshuffled at half-time, sacrificing midfielder Malaury Martin to bring on Alexandros Tziolis as sweeper between Krystian Nowak and Aaron Hughes in a newly-fashioned back three.
That meant Smith switching to right midfield and Nicholson to the left flank. It was a risky strategy but it worked. Caixinha struggled to respond and Hearts soon equalised.
Windass had been loose in possession all game and his attempt at a dummy allowed Don Cowie to nick in and drive Hearts forward.
The ball was transferred to Bjorn Johnsen, who weighed up a pass for Goncalves to finish with conviction.
Ever fragile, Hearts conceded almost immediately. Noring made a hash of his punched clearance from a Tavernier cross.
The keeper tried to correct his mistake but was outmuscled by Garner on the second attempt.
The ball dropped to McKay and he finished precisely.
That error aside, Cathro’s bold decision to go 3-4-2 was paying dividends, with Cowie and Arnaud Djoum dominating Toral and Jason Holt in midfield.
Johnsen spurned a good chance by firing tamely at Foderingham and Djoum just failed to capitalise after a woeful backpass from Tavernier gave him a chance. Toral then had a shot palmed away by Noring and although Rangers had the lead, they were far from being in control.
The starting midfield trio of Windass, Holt and Toral were all substituted by Caixinha but although young Jamie Barjonas offered some physicality, the arrival of Joe Dodoo and Martyn Waghorn was never going to consolidate things.
Waghorn should have added to the margin of victory in stoppage-time but fired straight at Noring, who saved with his foot.