BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
ON the day the race for second place became more of a limp to the line, Rangers outlasted Dundee by transforming a largely average performance into an emphatic win and edging the runners-up advantage entering the final stretch.
There would have been no complaints had the Ibrox side tripped up, just like Aberdeen and Hibernian did, when they were sluggish and sloppy for at least an hour of what shaped up as a frustrating afternoon.
But they broke free from the manacles of mediocrity with three second-half goals from the 68th minute onwards. For lovers of an ugly win, this was as good as it gets, scoring four and boosting a goal difference which may well come in extremely handy by May 13.
And how Graeme Murty enjoyed the feeling. Fist pumps to the crowd and chest bumps with his coaching staff. The big collisions are to come against the top six and, for all their faults, Rangers will start in pole position.
Fresh legs could be a prized commodity, too, before these post-split contests — even if they belong to a 38-year-old. Kenny Miller, on his first start since an injury at Easter Road in December, broke the deadlock and could have helped himself to a hat-trick.
Rangers had taken just a point from their last three league matches, and Murty felt the need to trust a man with a reliable record of achievement at the club.
First, Ibrox honoured Ray Wilkins, who passed away on Wednesday, with a minute’s silence. The classy English midfielder spent two years playing here.
Another partnership was tried in the Rangers defence yesterday — Russell Martin with Ross McCrorie — and that lasted 65 minutes before the latter, on his comeback from long-term injury, came off with cramp.
Bruno Alves was the replacement and he incurred the wrath of Dundee manager Neil McCann with a dangerous challenge on Craig Wighton in only his second appearance of the season since recovering from cruciate knee surgery.
As for Miller, his selection in place of the injured Josh Windass was rewarded with the go-ahead goal. He had already gone mighty close when he rattled the front post six yards out after meeting a Daniel Candeias drive from the right.
That had been a sharp and so nearly effective burst of activity, in contrast with the multiple inaccurate attempts on goal and basic distribution errors which littered the home side’s opening 45.
Steven Caulker marshalled a disciplined visiting rearguard designed to match their midweek achievement of a point on the other side of Glasgow.
Sofien Moussa scooped a left-foot shot over the bar after a sweet swivel that did for Martin, and the visitors were to regret that as Rangers pinched an interval lead.
Jamie Murphy opened up Dundee with a wriggling run akin to that which led to him firing Rangers level at Motherwell last week and laid the ball off to Miller 22 yards out. The veteran striker sized it up and took deadly aim, firing powerfully through a ruck of red shirts to beat Elliot Parish low to the goalkeeper’s right.
Miller snatched at a volley two minutes after the restart that could have made life a lot easier for Rangers, because Dundee persistently pestered them.
Glen Kamara skipped away from the toiling Greg Docherty, releasing Simon
Murray who twisted and turned Martin. Wes Foderingham bailed out his back-tracking colleagues by crowding out the on-loan forward at the near post.
The warnings were there. Rangers required a grip on midfield where Docherty, through illness, and Graham Dorrans suffered off days. Andy Halliday came on to replace the former and provide some much-needed stability.
Substitute Alves was booked for hacking down Wighton in a cynical, emergency measure. His brutal professionalism was rewarded when Murray clipped the top of the crossbar with the free-kick — and then Rangers marched up the park and sneaked a second.
It was Halliday to James Tavernier and Dundee stood off, allowing the home skipper to orchestrate a straightforward dissection of the defence. Candeias made room for himself to lace the ball in between the last line and Parish. Alfredo Morelos swooped to tap in.
Dundee all of a sudden made it easy for Rangers. Within seconds of Miller being replaced by Sean Goss, Parish’s poor punt to Genseric Kusunga was cut out by the quick-thinking Murphy. He took full advantage by slamming the ball home.
Parish’s day deteriorated with five minutes left. He was replaced by Calum Ferrie after taking a bang on the head in contact with Morelos as the Colombian nicked the ball ahead of him and took a tumble.
Morelos was booked for diving, which takes him over a suspension threshold and means the Ibrox top scorer will miss the first game after the split.
There are encouraging signs that Rangers have enough weapons to cope. For Dundee were beaten and Candeias ensured they left a little bruised by lashing home from a Dorrans cut-back to complete a rout.