Message is loud and clear: This team is ready for Old Firm batttle
DURING t he lost years, Rangers were no strangers to big statements. For journalists, relaxation became impossible. Every other night an email from the Ibrox club would pop in after 10pm, with its message employing more provocative language than the last. No opportunity to wash the club’s dirty linen in public — and there was plenty of it — was passed up.
It was draining, mind-numbing stuff. As Rangers became a circus, the football was the last thing anyone talked about.
On Saturday came another big, bold statement. One which has set them up for a crack at Celtic, this time in the last four of the Scottish Cup. And it took just 13 seconds of the quarter-final win over Dundee to emerge.
The first anniversary of chairman Dave King’s takeover coronation has passed with supporters talking about football again.
And a high-tempo, fluent win over Premiership opponents will have them drooling over the prospect of avenging last year’s dismal League Cup semi-final defeat to their rivals.
King would surely be the first to concede that Mark Warburton has been the key to the turnaround. To streaking 12 points clear in the Championship. To signing players like Saturday’s opening goalscorer Harry Forrester — a rapidly improving player who has scored three goals in three games. To turning Barrie McKay and Jason Holt i nto potential Scotland internationals. To getting a few more miles out of 36-year-old Kenny Miller, a deserved man of the match here.
One game at a time remains the mantra. No one is getting carried away.
Yet the fact remains. On this evidence, Rangers can beat Celtic next month. They can lift the Scottish Cup.
Last Wednesday, a makeshift Dundee team claimed a point at Parkhead and could have taken three. Fielding their strongest team at Ibrox, they were skewered by a side missing top scorer Martyn Waghorn and new signing Michael O’Halloran.
No one who watched both games with an objective eye can be in any doubt that, on current f orm, Rangers have the resources to overcome Ronny Deila’s side. To say otherwise is an act of delusion.
‘You’re seeing that there is not too big a gap between ourselves and the top tier,’ said a cheerful Miller after Saturday’s victory, ‘although everybody keeps telling us there is.
‘To a man, we were outstanding today from start to finish. We’ve beaten a very good Premiership team very well.
‘It shows the strength of the squad. We had three young lads given a place on the bench — and deservedly so by the way. We’ve got a strong squad, a firm belief in what we’re trying to do here — and we’re only going to get better.’
Before kick-off, many regarded a price of 5/1 against a Dundee win as an irresistible punt. The Dens Park side arrived at Ibrox on the back of eight games unbeaten, t heir frontline of Greg Stewart, Kane Hemmings and Rory Loy in a rich vein of form.
But Dundee’s game plan was ripped to shreds after 13 seconds.
As soon as Kevin Holt lost the ball to Forrester outside his own area, the January signing steadied himself to drill an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Scott Bain.
Suddenly the visitors were a shambles. They could barely string two passes together. Rangers played at a cracking pace, harrying, pressing, refusing to give the visitors a minute’s peace.
James Tavernier produced two fine saves fro mB a in, the second from a curling freekick. The only concern for Rangers at half-time was not having more goals to show for their dominance.
Dundee had weathered t he storm and almost levelled on the stroke of half- time when captain Gary Harkins — a much booed figure following his comments about Rangers being ‘a new club’ — headed a Paul McGowan corner towards Hemmings on t he goal-line. The merest touch and this may have been a very different game. For some reason, he chose to leave it and Rangers keeper We sF odering ham safely gathered.
Instead, the match was settled beyond doubt after 88 seconds of the second half. Dundee’s inability to concentrate for two minutes at the start of either half killed them. But let’ s not quibble about the quality of Rangers’ second goal. It was superb.
Forrester chipped the ball into McKay, who neatly chested it in the direction of Miller. The veteran striker prodded across goal for Holt and the former Hearts man — a revelation in light blue — nodded the ball i nto the net f rom close range. Dundee keeper Bain won’t reflect on Rangers’ third with much satisfaction. A l ow l eft- f oot effort from Andy Halliday squirmed past his despairing dive a little too easily in the 54th minute. But i t pretty much summed up the display of Paul Hartley’s side here. The excellence of Rangers was amplified by the sheer awfulness of the visitors. They couldn’t do a thing right.
Lee Wallace sealed an emphatic scoreline with a lovely jinking solo goal seven minutes from time, squirming between McGowan and Darren O’Dea before his composed finish made it 4-0.
The home support resisted a chant of ‘Bring on the Celtic.’ But the difference now is this: Rangers will have no fear. And neither should they.
Under Warburton, they have come a long way since a League Cup defeat to St Johnstone and, on Saturday, t hey answered all questions emphatically. If there is a gap between the Premiership and the Championship, the top tier has to start showing it soon.
‘Every time we play against a Premiership team, that’s the kind of question (a gap) that’s been levelled at us,’ added Miller.
‘We beat Kilmarnock. St Johnstone was going to be a barometer, but it’s not going to be a barometer because, on any given day, you can lose or win a game.
‘If we do the right things, which we did against Dundee, we believe we will win more games than we lose — against any level of
opposition. This is a new team, new management staff, we’re looking to improve all the time and I think we are getting better all the time.
‘Listen, we’re not going to get too carried away. We’ve got a long, long way to go. We’ve got a lot of hard work still to do this season to make sure we get back to where we belong, but we’ll enjoy this victory.
‘We’re through to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, which is what we wanted to achieve.
‘ We’re t hrough and we’re through well. It’s a fantastic performance with great goals and a convincing victory.’
No one more so than Miller, who produced a terrific individual performance and r outinely outpaced opponents 10 years his junior.
‘I’ve said all along, age is just a number,’ he said. ‘As long as I feel great, I will be wanting to pull the boots on for as long as I can. I really enjoyed the performance.
‘It would have been nice to get a goal but it was a fantastic team performance. We scored some fantastic goals today.’
Celtic beware.