By Alistair Aird
The storm clouds have never really dispersed around the stands of Ibrox Park in recent years. Managers have come and go with too much regularity. Almost all of them have made an impressive first impression but it hasn’t taken long for the malaise to return and for the blue skies to be blackened. But it is fair to say that none of the previous incumbents have created the depth of despair and disillusionment that Russell Martin has.
Not exactly the most popular appointment when he came in to replace Phillipe Clement in the summer, Martin has done nothing to shift the feelings of uncertainty in the 10 games he has taken charge of thus far. Three wins, four draws and three defeats mark it out as the worst start of any Rangers manager. And there’s a compelling argument that in the three drawn matches in the league, Rangers were fortunate not to be beaten. It could have therefore been worse even before the humiliating 9-1 aggregate defeat against Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off sent the Rangers supporters into overdrive. The end of the shortest managerial road in the club’s history had been reached. It was the point of no return.
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But rather than sack their man, the board backed him. Perhaps it was the vote of confidence managers usually get before their services are dispensed with. Nevertheless, and Martin was given the opportunity to right a litany of wrongs when he took charge of his first Old Firm game. And he would do so without the services of Rangers’ best player in season 2024/25, Nico Raskin.
The rumours have been rife for a while now that the relationship between Martin and Raskin was less than cordial. The Belgian buzzbomb has been in and out of the team since the start of the season and was reportedly unhappy at not being the first pick in the number six role. Tensions have continued to rise and having been excluded from the squad today, Raskin’s position at the club is now untenable. Almost unanimously, the Rangers supporters wish the roles were reversed. The Belgian will now be sold before the transfer window shuts on Monday. The fee commanded will be somewhat less than his true market value.
Social media platforms had been littered with posts in the lead up to the game with leaks of the starting XI. In the end, none of them were accurate. Martin made five changes to the team that were battered in Brugge. Out went Aarons, Rothwell, the injured Lyall Cameron and Danilo and in their place were James Tavernier, Connor Barron, Mo Diomande and Bojan Miovski.
It shows how poor Max Aarons has been that the return of Tavernier was a welcome one. There has been a clamour a few years now for the captain to be replaced. His deficiencies have been brought to the fore. But having seemingly replaced Tavernier at right back, Aarons has been awful. His ordering off midweek cemented the opinion that he should have been nowhere near the team for this one. Thankfully on this occasion, Martin agreed.
Miovski, whose transfer from Girona was confirmed the day before the game, came in with a proven track record in Scotland. He scored 44 goals in 98 appearances for Aberdeen, seven of them against Celtic and nine against Rangers. There was a feeling he would offer more of an attacking threat than Danilo too given how ineffective the Brazilian has been since the start of the season.
Celtic arrived having had their own dose of humiliation in the week. Humbled by the mighty Kairat from Kazakhstan, their own supporters have been vocal, with their ire directed towards a parsimonious, penny-pinching board rather than their manager. There was a feeling therefore that despite the maelstrom of mayhem that was turning Ibrox into a circus act, if the Rangers players got their act together, Celtic were there for the taking. Time would tell if Martin’s unlikely road to redemption would have its first paving stone laid down at around 2pm on what was a sunny Sunday.
Despite the travails, trials and tribulations, the Rangers supporters were raucous as the players departed after completing their pre-match warm up. From then until kick off, the atmosphere built, bubbling away until it erupted into an inferno when James Tavernier and Calum McGregor led their respective teams out of the tunnel just minutes shy of the showdown’s high noon kick off. The prelude to that was a magnificent rendition of an old favourite, Sammy King’s Penny Arcade. For many Martin had long since spent his last dime but maybe just maybe a light would shine in the night once again.
Following the ceremonial tossing of the coin, it was time to get going. But there would be a surprise as Rangers set up, it wasn’t Martin’s favoured 4-3-3. The man who has developed a reputation of being one who perseveres with how he likes the game to be played sent his XI out in what looked like 4-2-3-1. Gassama was on the right and Moore the left of the three with Thelo Aasgaard in the centre.
The opening moments were typically frenetic, but the crowd were on their feet after seven minutes when Miovski appeared to be bundled over in the box by the clumsy Scales. Don Robertson wasn’t interested in awarding a penalty, though, and Andrew Dallas on VAR saw nothing amiss either.
The incident seemed to energise Rangers. After 10 minutes, they forced a corner but Barron’s initial delivery was cleared by Maeda. The return ball into the six yard box was much more inviting and was nicked away as a prowling Miovski looked to pounce.
In contrast, Celtic were careless, fuelling the notion that there was a vulnerability about them. They probed and prodded a couple of times, but nothing was forthcoming. That said the current instruction for Rangers to play dangerously at the back looked like it could offer an open invitation for their attackers any time the ball came into home territory.
After 25 minutes neither goalkeeper had been called upon to make a save of any note. Both sides were nullifying each other at this point, but with two defensive lines that looked ropey when pressed, there was scope still for the deadlock being broken before the interval.
Gassama teased and tormented Tierney on the half hour, but after wriggling into space, he couldn’t find a cross to tee Miovski who had given a good account of himself. While he may only have crumbs to feed on up front, his work ethic had been exemplary.
Rangers had the ball in the net after 32 minutes. Tavernier’s free kick was picture perfect, the header from Souttar textbook, but the latter had strayed offside. The goal was initially given but VAR, no friend of Rangers in these fixtures, whispered in Robertson’s ear that he had to rule it out.
One thing that had been levelled at this group of Rangers players was their lack of hunger and desire. They didn’t like to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in. That wasn’t the case here. The boys in blue looked up for the fight, exemplified by Aasgaard who found himself surrounded by three in hoops but refused to be bullied and won himself a free kick.
There was a break in play five minutes before the break to allow treatment for Maeda who had been injured in a passage of play that culminated in the award of a free kick to Rangers. Tavernier’s delivery was cleared for a corner which came to nothing.
As half time approached, there were positives to be taken. The early capitulation and the inevitable drubbing most feared hadn’t come to pass. If anything, Rangers had been the better side, and for the first time in a league fixture this season, there were no questions to answer when it came to desire and application. They just needed a kiss from Lady Luck.
Celtic emerged first ahead of the second half. Neither team changed personnel, but given their respective exertions midweek that it wouldn’t be long until the subs were readied. For Rangers, you suspected they may come in the wide areas as neither Moore nor Gassama ha made much impact, and as industrious as Miovski had been, it was almost inevitable we would see Cyriel Dessers at some point.
Gassama almost eked out an opening after 53 minutes. He managed to get himself beyond Tierney, but his low cross was intercepted before it reached Miovski.
Thus there remained little in the way of goalmouth action. After 57 minutes, Rangers had had seven touches in the Celtic box, with the visitors having four at the other end. Rangers had registered three shots at goal to Celtic’s one. The avalanche of goals predicted pre-match did not look likely at this juncture.
After 61 minutes, Rangers won a free kick. Martin crouched on his hunkers in the technical area. Tavernier’s delivery was cleared, but in the action that followed, Miovski’s attempt to cushion the ball to Moore was cleared for a corner. Tavernier’s delivery was poor, straight into the gloves of Schmeichel.
Rodgers was first to shuffle his pack. Balikwisha and Engels – all £11,000,000 of him – were taken off, Yamada and Forrest pitched on in their place. The move saw Maeda move out to the left – from where he had previous for torturing Tavernier – with Yamada playing centrally.
On 72 minutes, it was Martin’s turn. His team had fallen out of the game and were starting to get loose. Dessers and Antman were called in and you suspected that Miovski and Moore would be the two to make way. That was the case and you hoped they would inject fresh impetus into the team. And Martin would make another change with quarter of an hour remaining too, the ineffectual Aasgard being replaced by Nedim Bajrami. The Albanian has flattered to deceive in a Rangers jersey, but his best performances have come against Celtic, notably in last season’s League Cup Final.
At this stage, one goal was going to make the difference. Neither side had been potent enough to suggest an equalising goal would be forthcoming if either fell behind.
Connor Barron, who had had a decent game, went down injured as the match entered the final 10 minutes. He would be replaced by Joe Rothwell, and Findlay Curtis was also introduced in place of Gassama. Martin had thus played his hand. Would it be a winning one?
Bajrami bobbed and weaved on the left and his dinked cross was cleared for a corner. Tavernier’s delivery was better on this occasion but was cleared nonetheless.
After 85 minutes, Curtis showed endeavour and enthusiasm to win a free kick on the right. Tavernier’s cross was headed for a corner that was once again sadly lacking in quality. A microcosm indeed of the match as a whole. It wouldn’t form part of an reel of Old Firm classics.
Bajrami and Curtis got their wires crossed when Rangers were in a promising position, but at this stage, with three additional minutes announced, it was going to a moment of magic or a mistake to break the stalemate. Neither happened.
One of the poorest Old Firm games featuring two poor teams thus ended 0-0. It didn’t answer many of the questions that remain outstanding about Russell Martin. In terms of work rate, courage and application, it was better. But in truth, Rangers were toothless in attack against a Celtic defence that was as wobbly as a jelly.
This was an opportunity spurned. Just how many more this Rangers side get this season as they bid to rediscover some domestic bliss remains to be seen.
