RANGERS launched their defence of the Premier Sports Cup with a deserved win over their Premiership rivals St Johnstone at Hampden tonight that helped to put the disappointment of their Champions League exit behind them.
The pain of the costly second qualifying round exit to Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday night – a failure which will deprive them of an estimated £40m pay day – will linger for some time to come.
But it was important for Philippe Clement’s men, who lifted this trophy with a win over Aberdeen last December, to avoid another slip up and they duly did so thanks to second half goals from substitutes Cyriel Dessers and Ross McCausland.
There were suggestions that referee Matthew MacDermid had blown his whistle for a foul in the build-up to the Dessers opener and the St Johnstone players certainly protested furiously when it was allowed to stand following a VAR check.
Here are five talking points from the encounter.
Welcome win
Clement made no fewer than five changes to the side which had taken to the field in Mount Florida earlier in the week; Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, Rabbi Matondo, Vaclav Cerny and Danilo came in as Connor Barron, Ross McCausland, Tom Lawrence, Cyriel Dessers and Ridvan Yilmaz dropped out.
The quality of the opposition was nowhere near as high as it had been four days earlier. Still, Rangers were a little better. They certainly offered far more going forward than they had. Danilo, Matondo and Cerny all went close before they edged ahead.
They have work to do defensively. St Johnstone defender Andre Raymond was unfortunate to have a goal-bound effort deflected wide by John Souttar in the first half and his team mate Adama Sidibeh forced an outstanding fingertip save from Jack Butland during the second.
But McCausland put the result beyond doubt when he netted in injury-time. The substitute dinked a delightful chip over Josh Rae. Losing manager Craig Levein could not really quibble with the final outcome.
This was only the second win that James Tavernier and his team mates have recorded since they returned to competitive action and was most welcome for them. It should give them a platform to build on.
Rusty Danilo
How do you silence murmurs about the health of your £6m striker after he has been spent eight months out of action injured and has been filmed walking with an apparent limp? Easy, by handing him his first start since December.
Clement was visibly irked when he was questioned about Danilo in the wake of his of the Kyiv reverse and dismissed a flurry of online speculation about the forward’s fitness.
Sure enough, the man who was brought in from Feyenoord for big bucks last summer made an appearance for the first time since suffering a serious knee injury in a league match against Hearts at Tynecastle at the end of last year. He was preferred to Dessers, who had one of those off nights he is prone to in midweek, up front.
The Brazilian only showed occasional glimpses of what he is capable of during his debut season in this country. He scored a vital a last-minute goal against Hearts and found the target in a triumph over Sparta Prague. But the jury is very much out on the Brazilian.
Rangers could certainly do with Danilo finding some form and justifying his fee at the moment. It would lift the club and the side. The player, though, looked a little rusty once proceedings got underway.
He had a couple of opportunities to break the deadlock during the opening 45 minutes, first when Jefte cut the ball back to him in the visitors’ area and then when Rae fumbled a Mohamed Diomande attempt, and failed to convert either of them.
He failed to reappear for the second half. The run-out will, providing he has not suffered an adverse reaction to his involvement, get his match fitness and sharpness up. But he has to offer more.
Rangers’ injury curse strikes again
Clement voiced his bemusement at the lengthy injury list which he had to contend with after replacing Michael Beale back in October on numerous occasions last season. He also vowed to address the problem and ensure there was great availability.
Itr has not gone very well so far. Ridvan Yilmaz was stretchered off against Kyiv and will be sidelined for six weeks. He will be joined on the treatment table by new signing Robim Propper after the Dutch centre half limped off just before half-time.
Clement is now without six members of his squad – Leon Balogun, Oscar Cortes, Nicolas Raskin and Scott Wright, and it is still only August.
VAR controversy
MacDermid insitally disallowed Dessers’ strike because he felt the forward had fouled Jack Sanders before rifling beyond Rae. The referee had appeared to indicate a foul. But did he blow his whistle?
The match official eventually looked back at a replay of the goal on his pitchside monitor after consulting with his VAR colleagues over at Clydesdale House. Only then did give it.
MacDermid made the right call. But what was he doing in the build-up? Did he blow his whistle? And did his actions cause the St Johnstone players to stop? It was as clear as mud.
Could we also please speed things up a little in the 2024/25 campaign? These interminable stoppages do nothing to improve the spectacle for spectators or television viewers.
Hampden no show
When Rangers entered the League Cup around this time last term – in a game against Morton at Ibrox which Danilo came on and scored the winner in – there was a crowd of 38,943 in attendance.
There were far, far fewer at Hampden this evening. Huge sections of the ground lay empty and the atmosphere left much to be desired. It certainly did nothing to lift those wearing light blue jerseys.
The cup tie was not on Bears’ season books. Still, it was a woeful turnout. The hosts were playing top flight opposition in a competition they won last season. It was indicative of how disillusioned they are with what they are witnessing on and off the park at the moment.
The St Johnstone fans who had made the trip through from Perth let their counterparts know what they thought when they serenaded them with a rendition of “what a s****y home support”.
Those who did trap got behind their heroes. The members of the Union Bears ultras group certainly appreciated the side coming to stand trackside to thank them for their loyalty after the final whistle. But if Rangers are to enjoy success this season and silence their doubters they need more vocal backing.
