Michael Stewart baffled by Bailey Rice in ‘shambolic’ Rangers footage vs Alloa
Bailey Rice endured a woeful first half as Rangers faced Alloa Athletic in the Scottish League Cup on Saturday.
Russell Martin has arguably taken a risk at Ibrox against the Scottish League One outfit as he picked Kieran Dowell in the Gers’ starting lineup.
The former Southampton manager seems to already be under pressure at the Light Blues after draws against Motherwell and Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.
Rice made his first competitive appearance under the 39-year-old head coach playing at left-back, and didn’t really make a case for himself, going off injured with the Gers 2-1 ahead.
Rice woeful as Rangers concede vs Alloa
Rice was terrible in the build-up to Alloa’s goal in the first half, Michael Stewart says.
The former Scotland international slammed the 18-year-old for failing to stop the Scottish League One outfit’s attack on the wing, with the cross eventually leading to the equaliser at Ibrox.
Stewart was baffled as the Gers had multiple opportunities to clear their lines, but their shambolic defending proved costly as Joe Rothwell was credited with an own goal.
Speaking live on Premier Sport 1 on 16 August at 18:10, the ex-midfielder said: “We were talking about Rice having to do a bit of defending. That is terrible,” he said.
“And it’s pinballing about. Shambolic defending, really.”
Martin needs new left-back at Ibrox
Jefte’s move to Palmeiras looks to be progressing well, and he may soon be on his way out of the Gers.
The Brazilian defender hasn’t been Martin’s first choice at the Light Blues this season, and it isn’t surprising to see them cash in on him.
Ridvan Yilmaz is also in talks to join Besiktas before the end of August, and the double exit will leave the Scottish manager with a lack of options in the backline.
Rangers have identified Aston Villa ace Alex Moreno as one of their targets, but it remains to be seen who they end up buying in the coming weeks.
- Rice made 12 appearances for the Gers last season.
- The 18-year-old has plenty of competition in the midfield.
- In the 45th minute, the youngster was replaced by James Tavernier.
Strengthening the left-back position seems to be a priority for the Gers in the final weeks of the transfer window, and the experiment with Rice shows just how important it is..
Max Aarons has also struggled when he’s played out of position under Martin, and the Ibrox faithful will be eager to see who the Light Blues sign.
The Glaswegian outfit took the lead through Nedim Bajrami in the 13th minute before Emmanuel Fernandez restored their advantage at around the half-hour mark.
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