It was all doom & gloom at
full time on Thursday. Rangers, humbled humiliatingly by the visiting
Motherwell, saw their chances of promotion hanging by a thread, and that
thread in itself was only there thanks to Darren McGregor’s late goal.
However, if there is one solitary
positive to take from the result, McGregor’s goal aside, it is the fact that
Rangers’ best results under McCall have been when the Ibrox men needed to win in the big, big matches.
Hibs away – it was about three
points, as was Hearts at home, as was Hibs in the first leg of the semi. Ditto
at Palmerston in the quarters.
The reason Rangers lost in Edinburgh on the day in
the second leg is the entire match had been a protection job, a containment
attempt; sustain what they had from the first leg and make sure not to concede.
It might have been the wrong mentality, but it worked, and Rangers made the
final thanks to a big defensive display.
This time the role is more akin
to what Rangers needed in the three matches already mentioned – an outright
win. Like Kenny Miller said yesterday, the roles are now reversed.
Some might call this clutching at
straws, but Rangers have been at their most effective under McCall away from
home compressing the midfield and springing a fatal counter. They have been
most effective with the 3-5-2 when they simply had to win.
Even the Motherwell match was not
a critical win – it was an unknown. Rangers went into this match not truly
knowing what they were up against, nor what they needed to secure the tie. Now
we do.
Rangers travel to Fir Park
knowing a display like McCall’s first in Edinburgh
is required, one where a containment job is not the order of the day as it was
the second time he took his team there; this time Rangers have to attack – but unlike
Hibs, Rangers are not completely toothless. Over five playoff legs they have
scored 6 goals. It is far from a glut, but it shows goals are there.
Can Rangers go for it and claw
back those goals? They have to. And that mentality might be the very
inspiration needed to achieve it.