Chris Sutton calls out Rangers flop Nsiala after Kilmarnock VAR incident
Rangers have endured a horror show of a first half at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock.
Potential Rangers managerial candidate Derek McInnes‘ men raced into a two-goal lead inside the early stages through goals from Joe Wright and Brad Lyons, with the Gers stunned before Vaclav Cerny pulled a vital goal back.
In their first game under Barry Ferguson, the Light Blues were all at sea defensively before the break, with Clinton Nsiala hooked after a shocking performance inside the opening half-hour.
Sutton warns Nsiala before he is dragged off
Chris Sutton, co-commentating live on Sky Sports (26 February), has scathed Rangers at various stages over the course of the first half.
Nsiala took a lot of flak alongside defensive partner Robin Propper but the young centre-half was dragged off by Ferguson with less than 30 minutes on the clock for Ridvan Yilmaz.
Former Celtic forward Sutton paid particular attention to a word the referee had with Nsiala and Killie defender Lewis Mayo, who were involved in a physical altercation while preparing for a corner from the home side.
Nsiala was investigated by the VAR officials due to his raised arms at Mayo, and Sutton had warned him to be careful.
“They were going at it at during the last corner, Nsiala [and Mayo]. It’s six of one; half a dozen of the other,” he said.
“He really has got to be careful not to raise his arms here, Nsiala.”
Rangers have time to turn this around
Rangers could not have started Ferguson’s tenure any worse than the opening half-hour at Rugby Park.
This was meant to be a new chapter and a breath of fresh air back for the supporters, but many were sceptical of their iconic former captain when he named an unchanged Rangers XI from Philippe Clement’s last selection at the weekend.
That team wilted to a 2-0 defeat at Ibrox by St Mirren, and it seemed uninspiring, before some utter kamikaze defending as McInnes’ men took full advantage.
| POS | Scottish Premiership table 2024-25 | PLD | PTS | GD |
| 1 | Celtic | 28 | 72 | +67 |
| 2 | Rangers | 27 | 56 | +32 |
| 3 | Aberdeen | 28 | 41 | -8 |
| 4 | Dundee United | 27 | 40 | +2 |
However, after Rangers broke well clear and Cerny finished for 2-1 and halved the deficit, there grew a feeling they can recover after the break and not just for a point, either.
A massively open game appears to promise more in store as Rangers look to get back to winning ways – a far cry from their performance in the opening third of this encounter.