Defeat leaves manager On the Ibrox precipice
Ruthless Aberdeen throw Beale’s season into disarray as Rangers fall seven points behind in title race
R1 3
ANGERS suffered their third Premiership loss in seven matches as the pressure mounted on under-fire manager Michael Beale. Stefan Gartenmann opened the scoring late in the first half for Aberdeen before Jamie McGrath doubled the lead. Abdallah Sima pulled one back for Rangers but a Jack MacKenzie effort condemned the home side to a shock defeat.
Rangers are now seven points behind Celtic after their dramatic win over Motherwell earlier in the day. More pressingly, Beale is fighting for his job as manager.
A matter of when not if for Beale?
Beale has lost the backing of the supporters. He is now banking on whatever goodwill he has left in the boardroom as he clings to his job at Ibrox.
Many made up their minds about Beale in the aftermath of the Old Firm defeat at Ibrox a few weeks ago. Since then, a succession of wins has only papered over the cracks.
Rangers could well recover from seven points behind Celtic and win the Premiership title. But it is impossible to see how they do that with Beale in charge and this abject defeat could well be the tipping point for the Englishman.
Performances such as this are not sustainable for a side aiming to challenge for silverware. And results such as this are certainly not after another Premiership stumble so early in the campaign. This could prove to be one too many for Beale.
The coming days will determine his fate but the court of public opinion has already passed judgment. The reaction at the final whistle was one of fury as Beale found himself at the centre of the storm once again. If he survives, it will surely be only a stay of execution.
Rangers get what they deserve at Ibrox
The chorus of boos that drowned out the whistle told you everything you needed to know about the opening 45 minutes. Worse was to follow.
Rangers had dominated in terms of possession and shots but were behind in the only statistic that really mattered after Gartenmann’s opener. Rangers had started positively and with purpose but they ended the half with it all to do after failing to capitalise on the chances they carved out.
The Ibrox crowd have seen that movie all too often and the way it ended will not have been a surprise.
Cyriel Dessers spurned a couple of opportunities and Sam Lammers, who looked bright and then fell out of the match completely, fired wide after working space for himself. A header from Sima also missed the target when he had to at least make goalkeeper Kelle Roos work.
The same could be said for the chance that fell to Jose Cifuentes. A James Tavernier cross from the right was there to be converted but the midfielder could not connect from just yards out and Rangers were soon hit with the sucker punch that sparked a furious reaction.
By the time Sima scored from close range, Rangers – reduced to 10 men after Scott Wright collected two bookings – were in a desperate state. The forward attempted to rouse the home crowd but belief was in short supply as the clock ticked on. In the end, there was only apathy and anger from those who stayed long enough to voice their fury.
Dessers endures difficult afternoon another
The signing of Dessers will encapsulate the failed Beale era if his tenure ends sooner rather than later. Beale must have seen something in the striker to sanction a £4.5m deal but the majority of those who have watched the striker this season do not share that opinion or optimism.
Dessers looks chronically short of confidence. Many will say that he is short of quality as well and Beale’s backing of him ahead of this fixture will not have gone down well with large swathes of the support.
As Beale said himself, this was a chance for him to come in and stake a claim after three goals in 12 appearances this term. The best openings of the first half came to him but he could not add to that tally.
Dessers should have broken the deadlock just minutes in, but he scooped a poor effort over the bar from the right channel. A header later in the half was a better effort that was matched with a fine save but he could not hit the target from a Ridvan Yilmaz cross on the stroke of half time.
His fortunes did not improve after the restart. With every loose touch or wayward pass, the moans and groans became louder and a man who has been a target of the support for so long was firmly in the firing line. He was replaced by Zak Lovelace with seven minutes left. The fact the switch was greeted with applause and ironic cheers said it all.
Clean-sheet run comes to an end
All successful sides are built from the back. Over the last two weeks, Beale has had his defence to thank for giving Rangers the foundations as St Johnstone, Real Betis, Motherwell and Livingston have been kept at bay and the wins have been recorded. Goalkeeper Jack Butland has been an integral part of that process. Yet he
was left helpless here as the sequence ended just seven minutes before the interval in shambolic fashion.
Leighton Clarkson’s corner from the far side evaded everyone inside the area apart from the most important man in red. Gartenmann had peeled away at the back post and found himself with all the space he needed after working his way clear of a despairing Cifuentes. The finish was accomplished by the Danish defender.
Just like that, an Aberdeen side that had rarely threatened had the advantage and stunned Ibrox. Eleven minutes into the second half, the Dons should have had this one wrapped up. Rangers were again susceptible from the cross ball and Bojan Miovski saw his header come back off the post from just yards out.
Aberdeen did not have to wait long. The defending from Rangers was abject once again as they repeatedly failed to clear their lines and McGrath scored from six yards. The winner from MacKenzie was awarded after a VAR check. It only delayed the inevitable as Rangers were beaten.
Threadbare bench sums up Rangers’ lack of quality
There was a time earlier in the season when it was an impossible task to predict a Rangers starting line-up given the options Beale had within his squad. As the weeks have gone by, those numbers have steadily dwindled and comparisons have started to be made with the situation Giovanni van Bronckhorst found himself in this time last year. That wretched luck in terms of injuries ultimately played a part in the Dutchman losing his job.
Beale confirmed pre-match that Kemar Roofe was unlikely to be risked for the trip to face Aris Limassol on
Thursday evening but that he could make the Premiership clash with St Mirren next Sunday.
The international break cannot come quickly enough for Beale. A glance through the names on the bench laid bare his problem. It comprised four defenders – John Souttar, Leon Balogun, Borna Barisic and Dujon Sterling – and three products from the academy as Bailey Rice, Lovelace and Cole McKinnon were named. The only recognised attacking option was Wright, a player who was heading for the exit door just weeks ago until a move to Turkey collapsed, and introducing him at the break was a desperate throw of the dice.
This is a side that cannot deal with so many absentees. Beale may feel he has been dealt a rotten hand. Time will tell just how costly it proves to be and if history will repeat itself a year on at Ibrox.