Rangers secured an absolutely critical win tonight v a stuffy Livi out to stop the hosts from playing. Credit to David Martindale’s side, they suffocated the visitors who needed a moment of magic from sub Scotty Arfield to secure all three points.
Ibrox Noise rates all the players who showed up tonight.
McGregor:
He had absolutely nothing to do. Not a single viable save on the night. Might as well have been playing poker for all the work he did. 6
Tavernier:
Enterprising down the right, provided plenty of overlaps and got in a few good crosses too. Was fairly untroubled defensively but still got in some good work. One of Rangers standout performers. 7
Goldson:
Quiet, but did what he had to. Standard enough evening for the defender. 6
Bassey:
Barely involved in this one as a stopper, one clearance all night. Pretty subdued. 6
Barisic:
More crossing from him than we’ve seen lately, and secured a big assist. Solid at the back. Didn’t do a lot wrong in this one. 7
Kamara:
Polished enough performance from Kamara – didn’t do anything silly, kept it neat, and kept midfield ticking. Was playing pretty much solo till his partner went off. 7
Sands:
His second outing as a Ranger wasn’t much better than the first. Struggling badly to impose himself on matches, and isn’t showing the composure on the ball he was bigged up over. Maybe needs time, but it’s been a slow start. 4
Sakala:
Busy display from Sakala who showed endeavour, work, grit, and pace and did an excellent job of filling in for Ryan Kent’s suspension. One of Rangers strongest performers. 8
Lowry:
A shock starter, Gio rewarded the 18-year old with not only a new contract, but his first time in the XI. And he made it count again, standing out for his guts and movement, not to mention energy. He’ll be happy with this. 7
Wright:
A lot of criticism aimed at the winger and Gio agreed, hauling him off on 75. Wright, as we’ve said 100+ times, isn’t a starter. He will try to impress as a sub, but keep him hungry and on the bench. He’s just not good enough to be a starter for Rangers. 6
Itten:
Oh dear. Yes, he’s been away for a while and he’s clearly rusty, but this is the same Rangers squad he left, he’s hardly a new signing. He really really struggled, the ball like a hot potato around him, and he looks crude, awkward, and lacks positional sense or smart movement off the ball. 4
Subs:
Arfield:
Rangers were completely energised by his introduction, showing how badly he was missed. He HAS to get a new deal, surely. He won the match for us. 8
Roofe:
Was barely in this one, a modest 7 touches. He will just happy to be back in action the last couple of matches. Seems some way off fitness. 4
Jack:
Just glad he’s back.
Gio:
The manager rewarded Lowry with a start following Hagi’s injury, and the 18-year old took his chance with a busy display. He’s got a lot of developing to go, but all in good time. Otherwise, we were a bit disquieted with the starting XI, if we’re honest – far from the best team we had, and the introduction of Arfield turned a slog into a success. But it’s Gio who made the right changes and took off the right players. All three duds tonight (Sands, Itten and Wright) were removed. This is a manager who clearly sees what the fans see. Which we welcome. 7
I thought this was a really poor performance and I agree the starting 11 didn’t fill me with confidence. But to be fair Livingston put up a very decent performance and didn’t come to roll over. It also should remembered that we started the game with probably only McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Barisic and Kamara that would be considered “first picks”. We need to get Aribo, Kent, Balogun, Arfield and Roofe back into the team for the Celtic game. Probably too soon for Ryan Jack unfortunately (did he look a bit chunky tonight?).
It was a busy performance but the finishing was awful . Sands not at this level at all , not at all. Itten not good enough , Morelos would have had at least 2 last night . Arfield and Aribo Roofe, have to start against he rotten mob. Sakala only real positive.
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