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Matchday 7 – Rangers vs Aberdeen

Ibrox Stadium 30/09/23 1500hrs

Scottish Premiership

Rangers team news –

Butland, Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Ridvan, Lundstram, Cifuentes, Jack, Lammers, Sima, Dessers.

Subs: McCrorie, Souttar, Sterling, Wright, Balogun, Barisic, Rice, Lovelace, McKinnon.

One enforced change for Rangers, Cyriel Dessers starts and Kemar Roofe is out altogether due to injury. Big game this afternoon for Rangers, it’s always a must win but Aberdeen add that extra because it is always a cup final for them.

They have decent forwards in Miovski and Duk, who will be an option from the bench, both have pace and power so we will have to be aware of the potential counter.

Rangers injury list mean that it’s not that great, options wise, to change things up so perhaps style goes out the window today and we have to ensure we win the game.

3pts, clean sheet and up the road will do me.

First half action –

3 mins – CHANCE! Dessers put in by a through Tavernier ball, it’s on the bounce but it’s high and wide. It’s an awkward chance but it’s not a good effort.

6 mins – EFFORT! Lammers with a quick shuffle after a good Lundstram pass but it’s wide.

7 mins – CHANCE! Cifuentes clips it in and a diving Sima header is wide.

20 mins – CHANCE! Save by Roos after a Dessers header, Jack with the cross. Should be ahead.

30 mins – 0-0 still

It’s all Rangers, Aberdeen incredibly deep and looking to play on the break. Rangers finding it difficult and have to avoid deep crosses which they easily clear.

35 mins – CHANCE! Cifuentes ghosts in but misses the header when he should score, excellent cross by Tavernier.

37 mins – GOAL Aberdeen. Corner to back post and Gartenmann slides in to score. 0-1

43 mins – Header by Dessers easy for Roos in goals. 0-1

Half Time – Rangers Aberdeen

Started strong and missed four chances, Dessers guilty of two with Sima and Cifuentes the other. Aberdeen get one chance from a set piece and take it. That’s the difference.

Rangers have dominated but it’s all too easy to deal with. After the initial burst, we resort to aimless crosses against a big defence.

The situation for Rangers is clear, this result will massively increase the lack of faith in the manager and fans will call for change. Anything other than a second half turnaround will result in that reaction so Rangers have to deliver. The reaction to this will be poisonous.

Otherwise it’s a mountain to climb on the last day of September and the pressure for change will be more vocal than ever.

Second half action –

Half Time Substitution – OFF Yilmaz, Jack, ON Wright and Barisic

46 mins – Lammers with a looping header over from Barisic cross.

49 mins – Caution for Tavernier 📒

53 mins – SHOT! Barisic drills one in, it’s spilled out by Roos and cleared.

55 mins – Caution for Wright 📒

56 mins – POST! Horrendous mistake by Dessers when trying to clear, ball to back post and Miovski smacks the post. Ibrox howls in disgust.

That should have been it. Zero reaction from Rangers, looks like a lack of belief throughout.

61 mins – Free kick skied over by Tavernier.

I feel like it’s just not our day, Aberdeen more likely than Rangers.

68 mins – GOAL! Aberdeen. It’s been coming and you could feel it coming a mile away. McGrath riffles in a second. 0-2

71 mins – Wright sent off. Second yellow 📒📒📕

75 mins – GOAL! Sima gets one back as he taps in. 1-2

84 mins – Caution for Goldson 📒

Sub – Dessers OFF, Lovelace ON

86 mins – GOAL! Aberdeen score their third. Mckenzie with the goal.

Full time – Rangers 1 Aberdeen 3

Attendance – 49,959

Summary –

A horrible afternoon which will end the managers time here at the club. Three defeats in seven opening games is unsustainable for any Rangers side. The negative approach to Celtic game made his position untenable for most but this has definitely cemented that position.

The game itself was a story of the season and hardly worth going through so I won’t bother. The team never believed in theirselves and less so when they went behind.

It’s end of days stuff and the toxic atmosphere means change is absolutely necessary, the longer the board don’t act, the more the atmosphere will turn on to the boardroom.

I’ve been absolutely guilty of being positive and backing this team including the summer rebuild, it’s been wrong. As a fan I’ve always been positive so that’s on me.

It would be wrong to try and discuss this by passing it off, telling folk injuries have caused this or making other excuses, it would be insulting people who read this.

It’s miles away from good enough, the key summer signings look horribly bad and my excitement for that looks misplaced.

Three home games, three games booed off.

Make the change.