George Overhill

Sat 4 March 2023 20:40, UK

Rangers were so bad after half time at Ibrox against Kilmarnock they were getting booed their own fans despite winning 3-1, according to BBC journalist Martin Dowden.

Michael Beale’s side were comfortable in the first half on Saturday (4 March), even having the luxury of wasting a number of good chances on the way to finding themselves three goals up at the break.

But they were “miles off it” in the second 45-minutes according to Dowden, allowing Kilmarnock to pull one back and come close to going a lot further, and the home supporters let themselves be heard as a result.

Dowden said via the BBC Sport live-blog update at 4.37pm: “It has been such a strange afternoon. Rangers were in absolute control in the first half but for the majority of this second have been miles off it, attracting boos despite being comfortably ahead.

“Kilmarnock have made changes and will presumably wish they had started in that manner as the game was effectively over by half-time.

“Rangers manager Michael Beale knows his side need to be better.

“For Derek McInnes, it looks like yet another negative away outcome, something they need to address very quickly.”

Concern

Kilmarnock were giving the Light Blues the run-around for a decent period in the second half, and feasibly could have put the points at risk if Ash Taylor had not contrived to somehow slide an effort wide at the far post, and if Willie Collum had adjudged Allan McGregor to have given away a penalty.

The goalkeeper had a miserable day when called upon after a comfortable opening 45-minutes, spilling a shot that was right down his throat, and then risking a spot kick as he went to gather.

His attempted punch was feeble as Jeriel Dorsett got ahead of him to nod Derek McInnes’ men back into the game as well, and highlighted the need for change at the position in the summer.

But even the likes of Nicolas Raskin, who looked so assured and comfortable on the ball when Rangers were dominating, started passing straight to the opposition when things took a turn.

Ryan Jack and Todd Cantwell were also guilty of the same, while nobody could make a tackle without conceding a foul.

If the first half had suggested some sort of reaction from the defeat to Celtic, it was completely undercut by growing complacent thereafter.

A lot of the wins under Michael Beale have been a strain, and because that in itself was an improvement on Giovanni van Bronckhorst this term it seemed like a work in progress.

But in light of losing the Viaplay Cup final to Celtic, to make it twice Beale has faced Ange Postecoglou and not won, it has highlighted just how much work there still is to do.

In other Rangers news, Stephen Craigan dropped a “crazy” reaction to what happened early at Ibrox live on BT Sport.