14 hours ago
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They got away with this one in the end, but it’s hard to see how things are going to get all that much better any time soon for Rangers when they’re back playing Nasser Djiga and Manny Fernandez as their pairing at centre-half.
Being brutal, it’s hard to know why these guys are anywhere near Rangers at all — or how they’ve reached this level of football, to be quite honest.
Current head coach Danny Rohl doesn’t have many other options, in fairness, thanks to an injury crisis that has seen John Souttar and Derek Cornelius ruled out along with a number of others.
The standard of recruitment prior to his arrival isn’t something the German can be blamed for.
However, this pair still have the potential to have him feeling the heat — as well as putting sporting director Kevin Thelwell and his recruitment team back under the spotlight after a couple of weeks off during the internationals.
Neither Djiga nor Fernandez has been playing that much.
Manny Fernandez scored for Rangers but struggled defensively against Livingston in a 2-1 win
Rangers fans continue to protest against members of the board at Ibrox
Rohl has got off to a steady start in the league but defensive problems are clear to see
They rarely appear together. When their names featured on the same team sheet for the visit of Livingston, the mind wandered back to the dark days of Russell Martin and a hard-fought 4-2 home win over the mighty Alloa in the Premier Sports Cup.
Pretty much every time a high ball got launched at them that day, there was chaos. It took a while for the penny to drop with the Wasps, but, when they realised the rudimentary approach was the best way to create opportunities, they definitely sought to capitalise on it.
Sure enough, the goal that got Livi back into this evenly-contested affair after an early header from Fernandez was more of the same. Just a stupid, needless goal to concede from Rangers’ point of view — and, yet, something that looks destined to happen time and again with Djiga and Fernandez at the back.
Yes, the home side did nail down a barely-deserved win in the end here when a Mohamed Diomande effort 12 minutes from time — initially ruled out for offside and then given after a VAR check — made the difference.
However, so many alarm bells were going off all over the team before then. Particularly at the back. That goal conceded to Tete Yengi on 18 minutes had big red lights flashing everywhere.
Oliver Antman — rotten as well, by the way — lost the ball out wide and a long, high and hopeful ball from Stevie May from way inside his own half just caused absolute chaos.
Tete Yengi got on the right side of Djiga, controlled the ball expertly with his outstretched boot and moved into a dangerous position with Fernandez way too slow to react as well.
In what was a disastrous passage of play for Rangers, it should also be stated that goalkeeper Jack Butland was nowhere near sharp enough in advancing to narrow the angle either.
Yengi’s physicality had given him the upper hand and he deserves credit for remaining composed enough to slot the ball under Butland and into the net, but life was made so easy for him.
Tete Yengi celebrates his equaliser for Livingston but the bottom-club still fell to defeat
Fernandez was also fortunate not to concede a penalty-kick moments after that 18th-minute concession and there were some unbelievably hairy moments for Rohl and his players in a similarly shoddy second period.
Fernandez and Djiga are undoubtedly a problem. The £3million spent on the former from Peterborough remains almost as incomprehensible as blowing £8m on Youssef Chermiti. How Wolves ever felt compelled to hand £10m to Red Star Belgrade for Djiga, on loan at Ibrox, is another mystery.
There were other issues on show yesterday, though. Other big signings just not delivering. Antman was replaced during the second period by Nedim Bajrami and not before time. It was painful watching home skipper James Tavernier signal to him where he should be moving into on the right wing.
Thelo Aasgaard had already made way for Bojan Miovski at the break after an anonymous display. There was just no one capable of stepping up to impose themselves on the game. Possession was being lost time and again in silly positions.
The lack of urgency was alarming with even the likes of Nico Raskin making you wonder why there was all that fuss about him being left out of the team earlier in the campaign.
It might sound churlish to be so critical of Rangers after a match from which they found a way to win, but they cannot keep playing as poorly as this. Braga will take them apart in the Europa League on Thursday night if standards don’t improve.
Yet, it should have been so different. Rohl’s side couldn’t have asked for a better start, going ahead after nine minutes.
Djeidi Gassama, also quiet throughout, won a corner after outstripping Samson Lawal and it was all as simple as simple could be after that.
Tavernier delivered an outswinging flag-kick, Fernandez drifted away from Danny Wilson inside the area and his header was just majestic — flying high into the corner past goalkeeper Jerome Prior.
New set-piece coach Scott Fry smiled and punched the air on the touchline. Job done. The platform set for an unusually straightforward afternoon in what has been a far from straightforward season for Rangers.
Fernandez's header finds the net as Rangers enjoyed a quick start at home
Unfortunately, these players simply aren’t capable of taking a game by the scruff of the neck. And when you’ve got a central defence comprising of Djiga and Fernandez, almost anything can happen.
Immediately after Yengi’s leveller, that strong, strong shout for a Livi penalty came.
A low ball in from the left made its way to Yengi on the right of the area. He attempted to dink it back across Butland, but Fernandez got himself in the way to block.
That the ball struck his left hand is not up for argument. No award was given, though, with Scottish FA officials offering guidance to the BBC that ‘close proximity’ and Fernandez’s arm being in a ‘natural position’ were the reasons.
That’s open for debate. It looked like a let-off.
Visiting sub Andrew Shinnie had a great chance to test Butland midway through the second period when moving onto a ball inside from May in a great position. A bad first touch saw the opportunity disappear, though.
Yengi then passed up a great chance to put Livi in front on 71 minutes when being left one-on-one with Butland after Tavernier had slipped. The home keeper did well in blocking with his legs.
Eight minutes later, Rangers pulled themselves out of the mire to secure a fourth league win on the trot. A Tavernier ball made its way to Miovski, he poked it on to Diomande before clashing with keeper Prior and the Ivory Coast international did the rest by tapping home.
Linesman Dougie Potter had raised his flag for an offside, but a review by VAR John Beaton ended with the goal standing.
Substitute Robbie Muirhead might have levelled it for Livi in the seventh minute of time added-on when blazing over inside the area. No one could have grudged Livi a point.
Rangers need to be so much better than this, but Rohl has his work cut out with the personnel at his disposal right now. Djiga and Fernandez, it could be argued, are just the tip of the iceberg.
