STEEL WORKS
Murty’s message sparks a revival as Rangers find their mettle to snatch a point from industrious Motherwell
THROUGHOUT an insipid first-half effort, Rangers displayed levels of incompetence that would get an Ibrox manager the sack. So it wasn’t going to earn Graeme Murty a job.
Murty took deep breaths to compose himself as he entered the away dressing room at Fir Park to address what had been the most dismal misinterpretation of instruction and flagrant disregard for preparation in his reign.
He had watched a defence boasting seasoned internationals Russell Martin and Bruno Alves at its heart bullied out of contention inside 16 minutes by former English lower-league journeyman Curtis Main.
He had seen Chris Cadden and Allan Campbell run riot unchecked in support of their team’s battering ram. All of which had been flagged to his players in preparing to face the team that beat up Pedro Caixinha’s version in the Betfred Cup semi-final last October.
The manager had a mentality to change, not personnel or tactics, as he demanded a different Rangers went back out on the Fir Park pitch.
Their response — thanks to a dubious penalty award, converted by James Tavernier, and a Jamie Murphy strike — avoided the ignominy of presiding over three successive league defeats for the first time since Dick Advocaat’s crumbling empire in October 2000.
‘You can spiral them up or spiral them down,’ said Murty of his thought process on how to tackle his team at the break. ‘You can get them back or easily lose them.
‘I said that’s not the level you need to be at. The rest of what I said will remain between us, but the reaction I got to that team talk — and their own disappointment — is very pleasing for me personally.
‘It’s reflective of the squad as a whole that they took it as men and came out with a really good response.’
Murty’s hopes of being the long-term solution for Rangers have diminished dramatically by the recent defeats to Celtic and Kilmarnock.
Before those games, it was 50-50. Let’s face it, though, the Ibrox board will soon look elsewhere to find a manager to make them champions again.
In the meantime, the hierarchy, whose earlier mismanagement of the role has thrust Murty into this position, will be desperately hoping his guidance can allow Rangers to limp through to claim runners-up spot in the Premiership.
And with this lively and uber-competitive Stephen Robinson team hosting Aberdeen’s game in hand on Tuesday, his intervention to snatch this point could be priceless.
As if in shock at a direct, physical approach, Rangers were caught cold early and looked disjointed throughout their wretched first half. Celtic have been here twice this season and failed to win. What made Rangers think they didn’t have to compete ferociously to prise a result? From that unedifying opening period, Rangers gifted Motherwell a ninth-minute penalty when Cadden tumbled after contact from behind by Martin. Rangers could only be angry at themselves for allowing the ball to penetrate that deep from a Charles Dunne launch, which saw Main claim ahead of Alves before Martin was caught parked wrong side of Cadden. Main sent Foderingham the wrong way from the spot. It was the third penalty conceded by Martin for Rangers. A sixth goal in 13 outings for Main since his January arrival. Tavernier signalled for calm along his back line. The message did not reach Alfredo Morelos, however, as he was booked for ridiculous dissent, squaring up to referee Nick Walsh in a free-kick appeal. Graham Dorrans was straight over to demand discipline from the striker in a bid to drag Rangers back into the game. That was a task made a lot more difficult when Main’s muscle was all too much for a flaky defence. He brushed Tavernier off the ball with ease and rolled a pass into the path of an untracked
run by Campbell, who ghosted through on Foderingham and stroked a calm, side-foot finish into the corner of the net.
Cadden then skimmed the top of the crossbar and Martin’s last-ditch slide denied Campbell. This could have been a first-half demolition job. Trevor Carson had been tested only by ex-Motherwell favourite Murphy in the first half.
Incredibly, Rangers emerged showing belief and were level by 53 minutes. A soft penalty award against Elliott Frear, who appeared to knock away a chunk of the ball as he challenged Tavernier, gave them the boost they required.
The Rangers skipper went high and with power to beat Carson then made a grab to get the ball rolling again. Urgency was the message — and working possession to Rangers’ best creative player this year wasn’t a bad idea, either.
Murphy collected on the left and scuttled inside looking for a gap. He felt it was worth a crack and Carson’s view was impaired by his defenders as the forward drilled low and deadly past the keeper.
There were no celebrations from Murphy, abiding the unwritten law of the modern player against a former club.
Any such festivities would have been premature, anyway, had Main’s delightful strike within a minute of the restart dipped an inch instead of rattling the crossbar.
What then occurred in injury time was criminal from Morelos.
A shockingly selfish effort slammed into side-netting from the Colombian, who either hadn’t bothered to look up to see substitute Jason Cummings in prime tapin territory or deliberately ignored him.