Livingston 0 Rangers 0
Attendance 9,627
Rangers fell further behind in the title race this
afternoon following a goalless draw with Livingston at
Almondvale this afternoon in an absolute shocker of a
game.
The result means that the Champions have failed to win
in their last five games, their worst run for three
years.
Manager Alex McLeish made four changes from Wednesday
night with Emerson, Christian Nerlinger, Nuno Capucho
and Egil Ostenstad (making his first start following
his signing from Blackburn Rovers) replacing Henning
Berg, Peter Lovenkrands, Michael Mols and Shota
Arveladze.
There was almost a dramatic start when Mikel Arteta’a
twenty-yard drive from Ostenstad’s pass was fisted out
by Roddy McKenzie.
Despite that positive start the game failed to ignite
until the 20th minute when Referee Hugh Dallas awarded
Livingston a penalty following Fernando Ricksen’s foul
on Jamie McAllister. Stefan Klos produced a fine save
however, turning Lee Makel’s spot-kick round the post.
Rangers failed to respond to that let-off, but the
game did ignite two minutes later when David McNamee
went in late on Stefan Klos. The ‘Livvie’ player was
perhaps fortunate to receive only a yellow card, as
did Craig Moore who got involved in the incident.
The first-half degenerated into a lifeless, drab
affair with Rangers devoid of creativity and
imagination, and indeed the home side almost took the
lead in 39 minutes when Makel shrugged off Moore’s
challenge and advanced on Klos only for the goalkeeper
to prove equal to the task.
Sixty seconds later the Light Blues had their first
effort at goal since the first minute when Ostenstad’s
low drive from an Arteta pass was just wide of the
target.
A diabolical first-half from Rangers required drastic
surgery by the Manager, but astonishingly the only
change was Stephen Hughes for Emerson, a decision that
baffled almost everyone else in the ground, who were
baffled that the ineffective Capucho was still present
when play resumed.
Rangers restarted on the offensive, Ostenstad being
squeezed out when he homed in on a Capucho cutback in
52 minutes, then six minutes later the Norwegian
turned on an Arteta pass only to see his stabbed shot
turned wide by McKenzie.
The visitors were making all the running at this
stage, but were spurning the few chances that came
their way all too easily – Arteta firing well wide
from a Capucho cutback on the hour.
Chris Burke was at last introduced in 63 minutes but
to general astonishment he replaced not Capucho but
Nerlinger whom most observers felt had been playing
well.
With the minutes ticking away Rangers were becoming
increasingly desperate without ever showing any
imagination, although Ostenstad was putting in an
effective and hard-working shift up front – twice
being denied in 76 minutes from an excellent Michael
Ball pass, his first effort being blocked, the second
held by McKenzie.
With just six minutes remaining Hughes played a
one-two with Capucho only for his finishing effort to
be weak and directed straight at McKenzie, but four
minutes later the best chance of the game was thrown
away when Capucho, clean through on a slide-rule pass
from Moore, cut inside only to shoot wide from twelve
yards with the goal at his mercy.
It was an appalling miss from the worst player afield,
and somehow summed up the nightmare month of October
for the Ibrox men.
With the game into injury time, one last chance
slipped away when Ostenstad was crowded out as he
homed in on a Paulo Vanoli cross.
The final whistle brought a crescendo of boos from the
Light Blue legions in recognition of a result that now
means seven points dropped in three successive League
fixtures in October, a desperate blow to their hopes
of retaining the title.
Manager Alex McLeish – the one man who can explain his
persistence with Nuno Capucho – afterwards pointed to
the injury situation for the reason behind the current
crisis at Ibrox, and also stressed that the players
were exhausted after Wednesday’s Champions’ League
fixture.
No matter the reasons, or excuses, the unpalatable
truth is that this was a wholly unacceptable
performance from Rangers.
LIVINGSTON McKenzie; Dorado, Andrews, Rubio; McNamee
(McGovern 80), Makel, Lovell (O’Brien 63), Kerr,
McAllister; Fernandez, Lilley
UNUSED SUBS Findlay, Walker, Arthur
RANGERS Klos; Ricksen, Moore, Khizanishvili, Ball;
Emerson (Hughes 45), Arteta, Nerlinger (Burke 63),
Vanoli; Capucho, Ostenstad
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Ross, Berg
REFEREE Hugh Dallas