By Alistair Aird
The well-oiled Rangers machine that Michael Beale is attempting to mould and manufacture to ‘wreak havoc’ has coughed and spluttered on occasion, but at other times, Tynecastle in particular, it has purred beautifully. The performance in Edinburgh 11 days ago gave the supporters an insight into the potential Beale’s side have when they are, to coin one of the manager’s phrases, ‘let off the leash’. Both in and out of possession the Light Blues were magnificent, and Robbie Neilson’s side were blown away, the final score of 3-0 flattering them.
But the performance level dipped again against Ross County last Saturday, so the fans that converged on Ibrox Stadium and others who fixed their eyes on their TV screens were probably not sure what version of Rangers would turn up for the tricky test against Partick Thistle in the last 16 of the Scottish Cup.
As he suggested in his pre-match press conference, Beale freshened up his starting XI. Allan McGregor was back in goal, making his twenty-ninth appearance in the Scottish Cup for Rangers. It was also his 493rd competitive match for the club – his sum total for League, Scottish Cup, League Cup, and European competition – and with Beale suggesting that he was likely to dispense with the rotation of the goalkeepers in the interim at least, it is becoming increasingly likely that one of the club’s greatest ever custodians will register appearance number 500 before the season ends.
Connor Goldson – who has played every minute of the 11 matches he has featured in since his comeback from injury – was rested which offered James Sands an opportunity to impress. There were starting berths too for Nico Raskin, Todd Cantwell, and Ianis Hagi, and as intimated, Antonio Colak was in the central striking role.
The Croatian has rarely featured under Beale – 85 minutes played across five appearances – and he hadn’t scored since netting his 14th goal of the season against Aberdeen back on 29 October. This should therefore have given Colak a chance to end that barren spell. It also gave him the opportunity to dispel some noises that were being made that suggested he didn’t fit into Beale’s system or style of play.
Thistle, backed by a vociferous following that was 2,800-strong, came to Ibrox sitting in fifth place in the Championship. With that league as tight as it always is – the Jags are only outside the play-off spot by a solitary point and 10 points behind leaders Queen’s Park with a game in hand – this would be a stern examination for Rangers. And they had at the helm a man with a Rangers connection and over 900 games under his belt as a manager.
Ian McCall had joined Rangers in August 1987 and would go on to make 32 appearances for the club. His debut was at Parkhead – a 1-0 defeat in which Graeme Souness was ordered off – and he also made an appearance as a substitute in the League Cup Final in season 1989/90. But the standout moment from his brief spell in blue was a sumptuous goal against Hibernian at Ibrox on 17 December 1988, his left foot shot arcing and dipping over the head of one Andrew Lewis Goram.
Rangers set up in a flexible 4-2-3-1 formation. Raskin and Kamara sat in front of the back four, and there was an expectation that there would be fluid positional interchanges between Cantwell, Tillman, and Hagi as they tried to carve out chances for the previously prolific Colak.
Thistle started brightly and there was an early scare when Tillman got involved in a bit of wrestling on the edge of the penalty area. With VAR in operation, it came as a surprise that no action was taken against the American,.
It was then the turn of the home side to threaten, and Barisic fizzed a dangerous cross towards Colak. The ball was cleared for a corner, and that was the cue for a spell of concerted pressure. It ended when the Thistle goalkeeper, Jamie Sneddon, emerging from his line to punch away a Barisic corner, was barged by Tillman.
We were already seeing some of the fluidity and flexibility that has been a hallmark under Beale. Passing was intricate, and the ball was zipped and zapped at pace in the forward areas as Rangers pushed and probed for an opening. And when the ball was lost by a boy in blue, someone promptly won it back which perhaps explains why Rangers enjoyed 72% possession in the opening exchanges.
But after a quarter of an hour, Sneddon hadn’t had a shot to deal with. Apart from a Hagi effort that dribbled wide of the post, as enterprising as the play had been at times, Rangers hadn’t had a proper sight of goal. Thistle hadn’t fashioned a goalscoring opportunity either, but when they did emerge from their defensive cocoon, they did ruffle feathers from time to time.
Hagi stretched some sinews to get his head to Cantwell cross from the right after 25 minutes but screwed his effort wide. The Romanian was trying to make his mark, but you could see he was a little ring rusty.
It was all a little flat, but Rangers were rocked twice inside a minute just after half an hour had elapsed. And the fact that the tie remained goalless was down to Allan McGregor. He scurried across his goal to parry away a free kick then pawed away another effort, but the veteran was eventually beaten after 35 minutes when VAR intervened to hand the visitors the lead.
A header towards goal struck Colak, and the referee, David Munro, was invited to go to the monitor. When he returned he pointed to the spot, and Kevin Holt kept his nerve to send McGregor the wrong way.
It was, quite frankly, a scandalous decision and someone in the upper echelons urgently needs to look again at what is considered a handball in the game of football. What constitutes a ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’ body position needs to be clarified too. Admittedly, Rangers had been pedestrian and lacking invention after a bright start, but to be penalised in this instance was ridiculous.
As the first half drew to a close, the Rangers fans were left to reflect on a performance that featured more coughing and spluttering. In fact, there was a compelling argument to suggest that things had stalled against the Jags. With options to call upon from a strong bench, would Beale call upon reinforcements to get Rangers restarted and back on track?
The answer was yes. Roofe and Kent came on for Hagi and Cantwell, but had Colak been withdrawn not many would have complained. He had been ineffectual at best, but a matter of minutes after the restart, he answered his critics by doing what he has always shown he is capable of, finding the back of the net. Raskin picked the Croatian out with a fine assist and after a nod of Colak’s head, parity was restored.
A couple of minutes later, Colak was denied a second by Sneddon, and it was apparent that the harsh words that one would have thought would have been exchanged in the home dressing room were having the desired effect.
Rangers were now pinning Partick in, and after 63 minutes, the cry of PENALTY TO RANGERS rung around the stadium again. Tillman was tugged to the ground by Stuart Bannigan, but Tavernier, presented with the chance to score his 50th penalty for Rangers, blasted the ball straight at Sneddon. Of the 60 spot kicks the skipper has taken for Rangers, this was among his poorest efforts.
Rangers continued to push for a second goal, and Kent bobbed and weaved his way towards goal. His effort was blocked and spun to Tavernier, but rather than shoot for goal, he tried to tee up Tillman who was crowded out. But the American was not to be denied.
After 70 minutes, he pounced on what appeared to be an errant touch by Holt, bustled past him, rounded Sneddon and knocked the ball into the net. The Thistle players were enraged, though, and a melee ensued. The goal stood, but when the game restarted, Thistle were allowed to proceed unchallenged from the restart to equalise. Allan McGregor did his best to force Scott Tiffoney away from goal, but eventually the Thistle man rolled the ball into an empty net.
Rewinding the action showed why Michael Beale had sanctioned the move. After Tillman had gone down injured, Barisic played the ball out of play to allow the American to receive treatment. When play restarted, Holt was getting the ball out of his feet to return to ball to Rangers when Tillman stepped in.
It was therefore a gesture of sportsmanship by the Rangers manager. It was a big risk, and it will probably draw criticism in some quarters. But he is manager of Rangers Football Club, and in doing this he showed the integrity and decency that is required in that role. While others may not have done the same, Beale should be applauded for what he did.
It was now game on for the last quarter of an hour. Sneddon fumbled a header from Davies wide, and a superb through ball from Tillman forced another corner as Colak looked to pounce. That would be Colak’s last involvement too, he was replaced by Morelos with seven minutes to go. And a couple of minutes later, Rangers hit the front.
Barisic’s corner wreaked havoc, and as Sands rose to meet the delivery he was challenged by McAvoy. The Thistle man got his head to the ball, but rather than head it clear, he succeeded only in diverting it beyond his own goalkeeper. Collective sighs of relief followed. In what was bizarre match in which Rangers had been far from their best, they now had one foot in the last eight.
Raskin, who had been excellent in the second half, was replaced by Jack as the minutes ticked down. The Belgian hasn’t played much recently, but he confidently strolled around the midfield and looks to be a good addition to the squad. His tenacity to create the opening for Colak was superb too.
In contrast, Glenn Kamara, who has impressed under Michael Beale, had a poor match. With only one match to play before the League Cup Final, the Finn will have to show an improvement on today’s showing if he is to be selected at Hampden. There is fierce competition in that area, with a fit-again Lundstram and Jack likely to be in contention to play too.
The shenanigans that followed Rangers’ second goal and the VAR checks saw seven minutes added on. With more and more blue seats being vacated as fans left, Rangers played out time. And those who left prematurely almost missed a sublime solo goal from Tilman. He waltzed his way into the penalty area but was denied by Sneddon.
Rangers are now three wins away from retaining the Scottish Cup. They will, however, have to play significantly better than they did in this one if the old trophy is to be bedecked in red, white, and blue ribbons. And the manager may be less inclined to make the number of changes he made to his first choice XI in the quarter-finals too. He suggested as much in his post-match musings.
It may have been a rough ride at times, but Michael Beale’s Rangers bandwagon rolls on. It still coughed, spluttered and stalled at times, but it periodically purred too. There is room for improvement, but much to be positive about too as the quest to add to Rangers’ Roll of Honour continues.
