RadicalStu Blog

Rangers V Livingston

Not a great game but a few weeks ago we were failing to win these games; now we are scoring goals and winning without playing particularly well.  The difference is that we can score goals now. 

We dominated the first half of today’s game and if it wasn’t for previous games this season I would have been confident of winning comfortably.  The only disappointments were failing to score a second goal after starting so brightly, the injury to Kyrgiakos and the lack of passing ability of Chris Burke; belying his recent excellent form. 

In the second half, the defence started to look very suspect.  Andrews and Murray is not a central defensive partnership that you would feel at all confident in.  Andrews needs an experienced central defender alongside him and Murray is not it.  It was no surprise when Livingston equalised and the thoughts turned to other games this season when Rangers had thrown away a lead. 

This seems to be a new Rangers, though.  They immediately stepped up their level of performance and very quickly went back into the lead.  This goal, the second of the day from Kris Boyd, looked like being all that would separate the sides until, the newly re-introduced, Dado Prso emulated Boyd by scoring two excellent late goals.  The Rangers attack suddenly looks good.  Lovenkrands, Boyd, Novo and Prso all looked potent and the four goal haul was well deserved. 

The worry is in defence.  Not only the defenders, but also the defensive abilities of the midfielders.  The amount of space that the Livingston forwards were finding in the Rangers half made for a worrying game for much of the second half.  Considering the ability of the Livingston midfield, this is worrying with much harder games coming up.  We do have Rodrigeuz and Hemdami still to return from injury but will have to improve significantly in this area. 

The transfer window is still open, isn’t it?