VODDY IDIOTS
Hibs blast fans as Gers close gap at top of Prem
STEVEN GERRARD lavished praise on his Rangers players as Hibs fans again brought shame on their club.
Gers moved back on to the shoulder of Celtic at the top of the Premiership with a thumping win in Leith.
Hibs have launched a probe after missiles, including a half bottle of vodka, were
thrown at visiting players. Strikes from Ryan Kent, Joe Aribo and Jermain Defoe underlined the superiority of the Ibrox side but Hibs again gave way to indiscipline on and off the pitch.
Ryan Porteous was sent off after an hour for a shocking lunge at Rangers full-back Borna Barisic.
The Croatian was targeted by missiles as he lay injured, including that glass bottle, as both benches went to war and coaches John Potter and Tom Culshaw were sent to the stand.
An unruly element of fans in the East Stand, where a fan rushed to assault Rangers skipper James Tavernier last season, also threw objects at Aribo and Defoe as they celebrated their strikes.
Gerrard said: “There were bottles, lighters, all kinds of objects thrown.
“It’s down to Hibs to deal with that and for Jack Ross to talk about. We don’t want to see that in any stadium. We want players to be safe and we want fans to be safe.
“We have spoken to our players on numerous occasions and told them to keep their cool in these situations. I was very pleased with their behaviour throughout, both in terms of their performance and how they handled the occasion.”
A Hibs spokesman said: “We are naturally disappointed at the actions of a few, particularly as we appealed for supporters to behave responsibly on the eve of the game. We invested significantly in enhanced CCTV systems and we’ll review footage from all of the sections concerned to identify any individual involved in unacceptable conduct.”
Gerrard admitted he winced when he saw the reaction from both benches to the tackle from Porteous, the second time this season the player has been red-carded.
Coaches and backroom staff squared up as fourth official Steven MacLean intervened before Potter and Culshaw were sent off.
Gerrard said: “I think both benches won’t be proud of seeing that back because that’s not what it’s all about. We need to control emotions better.
“It was a straight red and we were disappointed with Hibs trying to defend that and influence the referee. We could see from a hundred metres it was a red card and you can’t defend that.”
Rangers won at Easter Road for the first time in two years with one of their most emphatic and impressive away performances of the season.
Neil Lennon had lobbed the ball into Rangers’ court after Celtic’s 2-0 win at Tynecastle and queried how they would cope with the strain of chasing the champions.
Gerrard insists his players gave the perfect response and won’t be found wanting, with the visit of Kilmarnock on Boxing Day looming before the Old Firm game.
He said: “We got off to a flying start. You always hope for that away. The players were outstanding. Other people were trying to put heat and pressure on us. That’s fine, no problem.
“As a Rangers player and as a staff we embrace that and accept it. You go out to do your job and we did it very well tonight. I was very happy. We were excellent until the red card, very dominant.
“People will go away talking about goals and the front three and rightly so as they showed extreme quality. But I was really pleased with our back seven, how solid and organised they were.
“People were ready to write headlines and say we’re a one-man band that couldn’t cope without Alfredo Morelos but players put in a performance that means people will talk about them, rather than Alfredo.”