RANGERS 2 DUNDEE UTD 2: Tale of two halves shows Russell Martin was not the only Ibrox problem

Anyone who’s been labouring under the misapprehension that Russell Martin was the sum total of Rangers’ problems may feel the need to go for a lie down in a darkened room.

Having somehow dodged so much of the vitriol that flew in the direction of the now former Ibrox manager, it turns out that the players are also culpable.

As the Halloween decorations go up, Rangers are still without a home win in the league this season and have recorded just one victory in eight outings. 

It’s a truly lamentable record, the blame for which falls on the shoulders of more than one man.

On this occasion, it was the hope that killed their long-suffering supporters.

For 45 minutes, their side were outstanding and should have been out of sight. 

It was as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

As they finalised the task of securing Kevin Muscat’s exit from China, the club’s owners must have harboured regret that they didn’t reconcile themselves with the need for managerial change many weeks ago.

What happened thereafter was a familiar story. Leading through an outstanding goal from Thelo Aasgaard, Rangers simply stopped playing.

United turned the game on its head with goals from Kristijan Trapanovski and Craig Sibbald. The atmosphere inside the ground reverted to the way it was in the final days of Martin.

While James Tavernier stepped forward to salvage a point, the boos at the final whistle told their own story. This side isn’t fit for purpose. It does not have the required mental strength to get the job done. Muscat faces an enormous task to get more out of them.

After all the fury, speculation and confusion of the past fortnight, Rangers supporters had arrived at Ibrox clinging to the hope that things could only get better.

The last man standing after a bewildering recruitment process, Muscat appears to be destined to succeed Martin. Just not right now.

In a quirk that seems entirely in keeping with the way of things at Ibrox these days, the Australian’s start date could be as late as November 22 once he’s finished the season with Shanghai Port.

Including this clash, that’s as many as eight games which will go a long way to defining the side’s season. While there are evidently reasons for that, it’s far from ideal.

One week after taking charge of the under-19s, Steven Smith was asked to fill the void in an interim capacity. Quite how long that arrangement lasts is anyone’s guess.

Martin’s tenure had become so dismal that the atmosphere inside Ibrox was nothing sort of toxic. A different face in the dug-out ensured the focus was squarely on matters on the field.

Rangers belatedly gave their supporters something to feel positive about. There was little evidence of the possession for possession’s sake brand of football which had got them nowhere up until this point.

They played the ball forward quickly and with purpose. There were incisive two-touch exchanges. They ran off the ball in numbers and when they lost it they hunted it down in packs.

Every facet of their game was initially impressive. Oliver Antman, Joe Rothwell and Aasgaard, empty jerseys for so long, were right at it.

They played with risk and aggression.

It was miles removed from the turgid slugfest their supporters have been subjected to so often of late.

How United would rue the chance they missed before Rangers got fully into their stride. Vicko Sevelj fired the ball down the left channel to Ivan Dolcek. With John Souttar unwilling to engage, Dolcek fired narrowly beyond the far post. It was all the warning Rangers needed.

Tavernier fired the starter’s pistol with a rising strike. Aasgaard’s first involvement was to take Souttar’s pass smartly on the spin then drill a strike which was deflected just wide.

Given their dominance, it was a wonder that Rangers took 25 minutes to hit the front. It was an absolute peach of a goal, stemming from a delightful flick by Djeidi Gassama on the left flank which had United scampering back to their own goal.

Aasgaard still had a heap of work to get through. He juggled the ball from one foot to the next and back again, eliminating Luca Stephenson then Bert Esselink. With the ball back on his right peg, he unleashed a wondrous strike which flashed into the top right corner. What a finish.

The former Luton man was only denied a quick second by the reflexes of Yevhenii Kucherenko. The United keeper also thwarted Gassama at the expense of a corner. Rothwell had a shot blocked by Esselink before Kucherenko tipped another Aasgaard effort over the bar.

A rare United threat ended when Antman sprinted back 40 yards to make a slide tackle. Smith signalled his approval.

By half-time, Rangers had managed 24 efforts on goal, five of them on target. For once, they marched up the tunnel to the sound of applause.

United were miles better after the turnaround. Truthfully, they could not have been any worse.

Antman was relieved that his slackness didn’t allow Sevelj’s shot to trouble Jack Butland. Substitute Nikolaj Moller’s attempt to force the ball over the line at a goalmouth scramble saw him pick up a booking for scything down Tavernier.

For the first time in the game, Rangers looked unsure of themselves. Characteristically, they were unable to ride out the storm.

It was another excellent goal. Zac Sapsford, their main attacking threat, had had nothing to feed off as the 66th minute came up.

He darted to the right to retrieve what appeared to be a lost cause. Looking up, he picked out Trapanovski. His first touch after entering the field was to steady himself. His second was to send the ball whistling low into the bottom left corner. Butland didn’t stand a chance.

Rangers’ response was to go into the shells. Having been comprehensively outplayed for 45 minutes, United now fancied it.

Sibbald’s ball to Sapsford was a gem. Butland spread himself to save but the danger wasn’t over. When the ball came back to Sibbald, he only had one thing on his mind. A careful touch preceded a thunderous strike from 22 yards which beat the keeper all ends up. What a turnaround.

To give them their dues, Rangers did show some of the character that’s been so conspicuous by its absence this season to draw level with three minutes left.

Substitute Mikey Moore drove down the right then put the brakes on. Having looked up, he picked out Tavernier. The skipper swept the ball home without breaking strike from eight yards.