By David Herd
Ibrox stadium has a deserved reputation as one of the noisiest and most intimidating arenas in European football. In recent years, the likes of Dortmund, Leipzig and Tottenham have heard the full force of a support who can get behind their team like few others. But as well as being amongst the most loyal and passionate on the planet, the Rangers fanbase has also shown in recent history that they are a support that rarely agree on everything. Since the anger of 2012 when we all fought against the collective bloodlust in Scottish football to kick us when we were at our lowest, there has been very few figures at the club who the entire support stood behind or against. From the Ashley-controlled spivs through a succession of failed managers and hapless directors, the fans argued on whether to back them or sack them. But, this summer, along came Russell Martin.
His appointment as Head Coach was one that very few wanted, but most decided to give him the opportunity to prove them wrong and got behind his arrival. Concerns over style of play, stubborn refusal to change, and a woeful win percentage in previous jobs were all valid ones, but once he donned the suit and tie to face the press on 05 June, he was our man and we wished him every success. But by the last day of August, the Head Coach had achieved the seemingly impossible. He had united the Rangers fans.
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The first Rangers manager to fail to win his first three league games since John Greig in 1978 (despite a very favourable set of opening fixtures). The joint worst away defeat in European football ever. Well over 100 shots at goal conceded in the first half dozen matches, and more goals conceded than goals scored in his first ten games. Game after game where there seems no midfield shape, ponderous attacking build-up, and comedy defending. And now, a recruitment policy that seems to be torching the majority of the experienced or valuable players the squad had, and filling it with unproven “projects” and ignoring the need to win at the club week after week. The unanimous decision of the Rangers support after that abject surrender in Belgium in midweek was clear. He has to go, and they sang it both bluntly and loudly. And, after recent transfers in and out, many feel the recruitment team above him should pack their bags along with him.
But we now have owners who do not have any emotional attachment to Rangers. They will make decisions for the long term, not act in haste, and have a strategy of how they want the team to play and how to build a self-sustaining business model. Unlike the last regime of mostly Rangers fans, this is not a board who will jump if the fans get angry. There was no sign before kick-off that they were listening to the mounting anger, or were going to change direction. Now, on the day before the transfer window closes, our most hated rivals arrived at the stadium. Their fans are unhappy too, at a perceived lack of ambition of their board and failure to strengthen their title-winning squad in time to avoid Champions League embarrassment in Kazakhstan. Despite nine points out of nine, and a six-point cushion over Rangers, a poor result in the big derby game and their support might revolt. Meanwhile, a poisonous and venomous response from the home fans seemed a certainty if Rangers were to lose. Rangers v Celtic on August 31 2025 had almost as much interest in the stands as on the pitch.
But despite all the misgivings, and outright hostility, that most felt towards the Head Coach, the moments before kick-off seemed to be just as any Old Firm match. The new American owners were taking their seats as the Copland Stand unfurled a huge “Rangers Make Glasgow” TIFO, while the small band of away fans responded with a rather pathetic waving of small Irish flags. Penny Arcade and then Simply The Best were sung with gusto, and the teams emerged to the usual huge roar. If the support were going to voice disapproval, they had obviously decided a game against Celtic was not the time to do it.
Many dreaded the kind of start the team had against Brugge, or seeing the defence play suicidal passes near their own penalty box. But the Head Coach had decided to finally tweak his system, the team lining up in a far more solid and sensible 4-2-3-1 at the start, and the first couple of times Jack Butland got the ball at his feet he played it long. Barron and Aasgaard won a couple of early meaty challenges, and the crowd responded. This was more like what they wanted to see.
What they didn’t want to see was a good penalty shout turned away, and when Miovski appeared to be bundled over when running into the box, many felt Don Robertson should point to the spot. He didn’t, and there was no VAR intervention. The referee and the SFA became the targets for the support for a few minutes. Rangers remained on the front foot for the first quarter of an hour, thundering into tackles and playing the better football. They were rewarded by wonderful vocal backing. Buty the concerns over recent displays was always bubbling under the surface, and when the defence dithered and almost gave away the ball in a terrible area after fifteen minutes, the shouts turned to anger. The fans had not forgotten. This happened again later in the half with the same reaction from the stands, the support know the difference between “bravery” and stupidity.
In 26 minutes there was another sign of the discontent felt when the name of dropped midfield star Nico Raskin rang loudly around the stadium. The majority know whose side they take in the current dispute between player and management. But that was forgotten in 32 minutes when Rangers had the ball in the net. Bedlam ensued, and the opener that Rangers so desperately needed seemed to have arrived. But VAR determined an offside, and the roars turned into howls of frustration.
The scores stayed level at the interval, and Rangers were loudly applauded off after a decent showing. The unhappiness was there, but largely hidden so far. The second half would decide if it stayed that way. And, in truth, the second half was so dull that there was nothing really to shout about. The game slowly became one where both sides had plenty possession, but neither had any cutting edge. It meant that the crowd’s involvement became the occasional exasperated shouts of annoyance when Rangers tried to overplay at the back, and some abuse directed towards referee Don Robertson who did nothing to sway those who think he gives Rangers nothing.
There were a few yellow cards, there were plenty substitutions, but there was precious little football. It meant in the end a result where both teams avoided the defeat that might have sent their supporters into meltdown, and an overall game of football that was so boring that there didn’t feel any point in getting too heated up. There were loud boos heard from the home fans at the end, but it’s conjecture whether these were aimed at the drab football we had just endured or whether it was a last blast at the under-fire Head Coach before folks went home.
It still feels that Rangers are one bad result away from a toxic afternoon, but that afternoon wasn’t today. Four games, four draws, six behind. It needs to get a lot better, or the chants for change are merely postponed and not avoided.
