Ally McCoist instantly rages at ’embarrassing’ Max Aarons incident in Club Brugge vs Rangers
Rangers got off to a nightmare start in their Champions League playoff match against Club Brugge, finding themselves 5-0 down at half-time.
Russell Martin’s side trailed 3-1 from the first leg against Club Brugge, meaning they had a mountain to climb before the match even kicked off.
They would need to play to their very best in attack and keep things as tight as possible at the back to stand a chance.
But the Rangers game plan went out the window after four minutes, when a Nicolo Tresoldi header extended the Belgian side’s lead.
Then, when it seemed as though things couldn’t get tougher, Max Aarons was sent off after eight minutes.
Ally McCoist labels Max Aarons red card as ’embarrassing’
It looked like a simple long ball over the top for Club Brugge, but Aarons found himself in all sorts of trouble with the lightning-fast Tresoldi running onto it.
With Tresoldi bearing down on goal, Aarons made the decision to yank the forward down by shirt.
Aarons went tumbling down as well, but it wasn’t a subtle foul. In fact, it will be the most obvious red card that the referee will ever give.
Aarons was one of eight new signings starting the match. It was the first red card of his career.
Commentating on the match, Ally McCoist labelled Aarons’ defending as “embarrassing”.
He said on TNT Sports 1: “What is he thinking about? That is embarrassing defending. It’s schoolboy defending.
“Just get goalside of him and match the run.
“That is absolutely car-crash defending.”
The worst possible preparation for the Old Firm Derby
It was always going to be a big ask for Rangers to turn around a two-goal deficit against a classy Club Brugge side.
Perhaps, deep down, a lot of supporters would have settled for a brave performance where Rangers at least gave their opponents some scary moments.
That’s the least Russell Martin would have hoped for after the last couple of domestic performances.
He didn’t even get that. Not even close.
Rangers were dead and buried after four minutes. Then, Aarons’ moment of madness made them susceptible to getting steamrolled for the rest of the game.
Could this match – and this rash decision from Martin’s new signing – have long-term consequences for the Rangers manager?
It certainly puts even more pressure on Rangers ahead of the first Old Firm Derby of the season.
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