BEARS’ DEFIANCE IS DEAFENING
No sectarian songs but banner has a message for Rangers
YOU can lead a horse to water. But there is absolutely no guarantee that he will drink.
The message from Rangers to supporters who sing sectarian songs could hardly be clearer.
Thursday night’s Europa League second leg with Legia Warsaw will be played in front of 3,000 empty seats at Ibrox after UEFA took action against discriminatory chants.
After launching an ‘Everyone, Anyone’ campaign to promote inclusiveness, the club’s hierarchy have heard enough. Steven Gerrard says the songs with the offensive add-ons have to end.
It’s a stance backed by the majority of Rangers fans. Whether the club’s Union Bears ultras group feel inclined to listen is a different matter.
Normally resident in the BF1 section of Ibrox, they unfurled a banner in Paisley yesterday before a game which was always likely to attract as much focus for what happened off the pitch as on it.
‘Everyone anyone, except BF1,’ it read. A clear challenge to the Rangers board, it now poses a conundrum familiar to their rivals Celtic. How do you deal with young fans who think they can do and sing as they like?
The defiance was largely restricted to banners in the end.
Whether UEFA action can change the behaviour of supporters in the long term is just one of the questions surrounding the club.
The more immediate concern is their ability to take the league title from Celtic. That received a more positive response.
Rangers boss Gerrard made five changes from last week’s 0-0 Europa League draw in Warsaw.
Filip Helander made his league debut, with Borna Barisic, Glen Kamara, Jordan Jones and Jermain Defoe coming in for Nikola Katic, Jon Flanagan, Steven Davis, Sheyi Ojo and Alfredo Morelos. Last season Gerrard couldn’t have made five changes without risking dropped points. Here it paid off brilliantly. Croatian left-back Barisic is a much-maligned figure. If he left before the transfer window closed, it’s doubtful supporters would lose much sleep. Yet, with a tight, edgy game scoreless after 59 minutes, he stepped up to the plate after Defoe was hacked to the ground by St Mirren’s on-loan left-back Calum Waters 22 yards from goal. Barisic’s stunningly accurate and powerful effort made the difference between dropping two points and claiming all three. Engulfing himself in supporters, he earned a yellow card for his efforts. It was a price worth paying. Having been robbed of a goal against St Joseph’s in Gibraltar when UEFA gave the strike to Connor Goldson, there could be no mistaking who scored this time. ‘It was unbelievable, very nice,’ said Barisic. ‘I have waited for that moment. When I scored in Gibraltar, I couldn’t go to the fans because Connor scored. This is my first goal officially, so I am very happy. I took the yellow card because of that.’
In this fixture, the stats don’t lie. The Paisley side had only won two of their last 24 league meetings against Rangers — drawing two and losing 20.
After beating Aberdeen 1-0 earlier this month, boss Jim Goodwin went with the same starting XI again.
Yet Rangers and their heavilyscrutinised away support travelled down the M8 expecting victory. Their confidence was justified in the end, allowing Gerrard’s side to enter the first game of the season with Celtic next weekend in buoyant mood.
It could have been a whole lot easier. Uncharacteristically, Defoe blew a golden chance after three minutes. Against a compact, tightly-drilled Saints side, the visitors found themselves sucked into a dogged war of attrition.
The home team might even have ended the half in front, referee Kevin Clancy turning down a loud claim for a penalty shout after Helander tangled with striker Jon Obika inside the area.
Clancy judged that the St Mirren man had a hand on the defender’s shoulder first, and Rangers won the free-kick.
Obika also struck the upright with a hopelessly overhit cross which came to within inches of landing lucky. Rangers dominated the first-half possession, but they struggled to create clear-cut chances after Defoe’s miss.
Buddies manager Goodwin said before the game that Vaclav Hladky is the best shot-stopper in the league.
The Irishman’s bold claim was supported ten minutes from halftime when the Czech goalkeeper put his face in front of a goalbound Scott Arfield header from James Tavernier’s cross.
Did he know much about it? Doubtful. Sometimes fortune favours the brave.
St Mirren ended the half dropping deeper and deeper, inviting trouble at their door.
Pushing Kyle McAllister on for ineffectual winger Ilkay Durmus at half-time, Goodwin tried to stem the flow of traffic. To get his team further up the pitch.
Yet Rangers came to within inches of the lead a minute after the restart when Tavernier’s corner was met flush by the head of Joe Aribo, the English midfielder guiding his effort just wide of the post. Their tempo rising, it looked a matter of when Rangers scored and not if.
Even bringing new striker Junior Morias on for Obika couldn’t get St Mirren out of their own half. The debutant had one superb chance six yards out in the final minutes of normal time, weakly mis-hitting a low cross into the arms of Allan McGregor.
Another fierce strike from Obika briefly threatened during six minutes of stoppage time, yet the referee could have added on 20 minutes and St Mirren still couldn’t have mustered enough menace to grab an equaliser.
‘We contained Rangers well, but there’s also frustration about us trying to do a little bit better with the ball,’ admitted Goodwin, ‘Because I felt in the second half we invited waves of attack.
‘We weren’t able to get up the pitch and that was the most disappointing thing.’ ST MIRREN (4-5-1): Hladky 8; McGinn 7, Waters 6, MacKenzie 7, McLoughlin 7; Flynn 6, Foley 5, Obika 5 (Morias 66), Durmus 4 (McAllister 45), Magennis 3; Andreu 4 (Mullen 84). Subs not used: Baird, Djorkaeff, MacPherson, Lyness. Booked: Waters. RANGERS (4-2-3-1): McGregor 6; Tavernier 7, Helander 6, Goldson 7, Barisic 7; Kamara 6, Jack 7; Aribo 7, Jones 5 (Davis 67), Arfield 6 (King 84); Defoe 5 (Morelos 75). Subs not used: Foderingham, Edmundson, Halliday, Hastie. Booked: Helander. Man of the match: Vaclav Hladky. Referee: Kevin Clancy. Attendance: 7,332.