THE road to redemption will be a difficult one for Rangers to travel this term. Victory over Motherwell was the first progress along it for Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
The steps were small. But they were at least in the right direction after so many signs of regression in recent times as Malik Tillman and John Lundstram secured a valuable Premiership win at Fir Park.
The gap to Celtic in the title race remains at two points and all Van Bronckhorst’s side can do in the coming weeks is keep ticking off the domestic fixtures. Mercifully, just two more European endeavours await before that campaign can be consigned to history.
This wasn’t exactly the rousing response that many expected in the aftermath of the 7-1 humiliation against Liverpool and Van Bronckhorst needed a greater reaction – both in terms of the performance and the result – to dampen some of the noise around him and his position.
The Dutchman can, at least, point to a winning run in the league that has been extended once again. Right now, he needs all the positives he can get.
The loss of Connor Goldson and Ryan Jack compounded Van Bronckhorst’s misery against Liverpool. A night that was damaging enough on the face of it has a longer lasting implication for Rangers and a squad that is already weakened now has a decidedly thin look about it.
Filip Helander and Kemar Roofe have yet to be seen this season, while Ianis Hagi won’t be fit until the turn of the year. Goldson, Jack and John Souttar will be absent for even longer and Van Bronckhorst must somehow steer the side and the squad through without so much experience and quality in the coming weeks and months.
Rangers are shelling out six-figures in wages for no return from that handful. While injuries cannot be accounted for, it sums up the luck that Van Bronckhorst is carrying at present and is another issue that a tetchy support can add to their list of moans and groans right now.
The side that was selected here was still considerably more expensively assembled than the one which resides at Fir Park. That quality didn’t show, though, as the visitors laboured.
This was supposed to be a team with a point to prove, one with the bit between their teeth. If this is all Rangers can muster in adversity, the problems at Ibrox are more profound than feared.
The best chances of a woeful first half arrived in the opening minutes for Rangers. Once they spurned, Van Bronckhorst’s side looked largely bereft of ideas and lacked any attacking nous against a Motherwell defence that was comfortable until the break.
It was slow and uninspiring stuff, once again, from Rangers. Antonio Colak was a lone, helpless figure and those in behind him – Rabbi Matondo, Tillman and Ryan Kent – offered next to nothing as Rangers toiled.
Kent had his best opening after three minutes. After combining with Tillman, he had time and space in the area, but he declined to get a shot away early and turned into traffic before seeing an effort blocked and then held by Liam Kelly.
The keeper easily gathered a tame effort from Tillman later in the half. That came a few minutes after the Bayern Munich midfielder had scooped a strike high over the bar from inside the area.
The dearth of quality was alarming but not unusual. The issue has been prevalent over the course of the campaign and the only saving grace for Rangers was that Motherwell were equally as inept at the other end of the park.
Steven Hammell spoke on Friday morning about his side having the belief that they could beat the Old Firm rather than just compete with them. At the halfway stage, the Steelmen hadn’t shown enough quality to suggest victory was possible.
Motherwell failed to record a single touch inside the Rangers area in the first half. When that statistic was ended after the restart, Allan McGregor saved smartly from Kevin Van Veen.
Colak should have headed Rangers in front just seconds beforehand. From a Borna Barisic cross, he nodded his effort wide of target when he simply had to score.
That was, at least, a sign of intention from Rangers. A spark was still needed, though, and it was Tillman that provided it with a wonderful few seconds of individual brilliance.
The American picked the ball up on the halfway line and headed for goal. One by one, he brushed by the opposition as ground was made up but no challenges came in.
When he reached the area, he only had Kelly to beat. That was achieved with a clinical finish as he scored for the first time since the win over St Johnstone back in August.
That goal ensured Rangers would not lose here. Their second ensured that they would leave Lanarkshire with all three points.
Lundstram got away from Bevis Mugabi to meet a Barisic corner and his header took a flick off Van Veen on its way in. That was job done for Rangers against a side who were never going to come back into it from this position.
They had a renewed belief when Stuart McKinstry’s free-kick looped over McGregor’s head and found the far corner of the net. It was fleeting and soon extinguished.
The whistle was met with relief as much as celebration by those in blue. Those in claret and amber only had regret as a side that looked there for the taking were not troubled enough.
Rangers had their win. In terms of their recovery, it was a start at least.
