Rangers FC

Tough Week Ends In Defeat

Sat, Feb 18, 2012

By Neil Smith

THE Rangers fans once again proved they are 'Simply The Best' with almost 50,000 travelling to Ibrox Stadium to get behind Ally McCoist's squad and their beloved club.

But, unfortunately, there was to be no happy ending to a turbulent week as the Light Blues lost to Kenny Shiels' Kilmarnock.

This season's League Cup finalists recorded just their second away victory of the season and it was the manager's son Dean that scored the only goal with a well-taken strike after 11 minutes.

This was always going to be a tough afternoon for Rangers with the first-team squad, like all the staff at Ibrox and Murray Park, aware their jobs are under threat after the club entered administration on Tuesday.

Their work today, however, was made even more difficult when Sasa Papac was sent off before the half-time interval for a challenge on Liam Kelly.

The Bosnian threw himself into a 50/50 tackle and although he never made contact with the midfielder Iain Brines was quick to pull his red card from his top pocket.

In the build-up to the game McCoist asked everyone associated with the club to unite and stressed "we don't do walking away", those passionate words displayed on the stadium's big screens as kick-off approached and at half-time.

And as both sets of players walked on to the pitch the atmosphere was electric with no spare seats to be had and Tina Turner's famous hit blasting out of the PA system.

But after a positive start Kilmarnock silenced the Ibrox faithful with 11 minutes on the scoreboards.

Paul Heffernan got in behind the Gers backline and when he played it inside to his strike partner Shiels he let the ball come across his body before curling a low shot beyond Allan McGregor from 16 yards.

This was not in the plan and the visitors could have doubled their advantage quickly when Heffernan and Ben Gordon both found themselves in space down the left channel but neither could test the Gers keeper despite being in acres of space.

On 20 minutes the injured Dorin Goian was replaced by Ross Perry and in the next attack David Healy had the ball in the net but the Ulsterman had already been ruled offside.

Killie, however, were always a threat and before the half hour mark the lively Heffernan played an intelligent cut back to the industrious James Fowler who curled a shot inches wide of the far post.

Papac's sending off arrived on 41 minutes made it even more difficult for Rangers to get back into this contest but for the restart McCoist introduced Mervan Celik in place of David Healy.

But again it was Killie that kept asking the questions and on 54 minutes Mohamadou Sissoko should have scored with a volley from six yards after Fowler had delivered a deep, teasing cross.

Rangers though kept at it and on 66 minutes they again had the ball in the net when Aluko's whipped corner was nodded home by Lee McCulloch but again Brines ruled it out after Celik was adjudged to have fouled his marker as he attempted to win the ball.

It was a controversial decision that could have gone either way and McCoist and his coaching staff let the fourth official know that.

In the final 10 minutes the home support were vociferous in support of their manager who stayed in his technical area for almost the entire 90 minutes, his passion never in doubt.

With his options limited, in particular in attack, and off-the-pitch issues to be decided the next few weeks will be testing for everyone at Rangers but you always feel with the fans' backing the club will pull through.

They were magnificent today and although it was ultimately to be a frustrating afternoon the vast majority stayed beyond the three additional minutes of injury time to applaud their side up the Ibrox tunnel.