HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR RANGERS!
It was 150 years ago this month that brothers Moses and Peter McNeil met Peter Campbell and William McBeath at West End Park in Glasgow and formed Rangers Football Club.
Supporters of the Ibrox club celebrated the anniversary of that event in some style before and during their cinch Premiership match against Aberdeen in Govan this afternoon.
The Union Bears supporters’ group had arranged a tifo display to mark the occasion and giant banners of the Founding Fathers, other greats like John Greig, Nacho Novo and James Tavernier and legendary sides were unfurled in all four stands.
When the game kicked off, fans in the 50,010-strong crowd donned red, white and blue ponchos. It was quite a spectacle. The play on the park was nowhere near as entertaining.
The Aberdeen fans who were squeezed into the former between the Broomloan Road and Sandy Jardine Stands had their own birthday message for Rangers.
They held up a banner which read: “Charles Green Had A Dream”. Ouch!
SUPER SUB
Aberdeen had drawn with Rangers twice in the Premiership this season before today and they very nearly continued their unbeaten run at Ibrox this afternoon.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side were frustrated by Jim Goodwin’s ultra-defensive team – Allan McGregor did not have a save of note to make during the 90 minutes – for the majority of the match.
The Dutchman was booed by supporters when he took off Alfredo Morelos and put on Kemar Roofe late in proceedings. But the substitute broke the deadlock just a couple of minutes after taking to the field when he got on the end of a Tavernier header and bundled the ball beyond Joe Lewis.
Roofe’s close-range strike and this narrow win could prove to be vital to Rangers come May.
Celtic do not have a great track record against Livingston on the artificial surface at the Tony Macaroni Stadium – and if they lose at their bogey ground for the second time this term tomorrow they will be level with their city rivals with eight games remaining.
GUESS WHO’S BACK?
Aaron Ramsey’s omission from the Rangers squads for their games against Dundee United, Borussia Dortmund and St Johnstone has led to the wisdom of bringing the Juventus midfielder on loan being questioned by fans and pundits.
But the Welsh internationalist, who shelled out a hefty sum this week to fly physios who he has worked with in the past over to Glasgow this week, was back on the bench at Ibrox today.
Games are running out for the 31-year-old to make an impact and justify the money the Scottish champions are paying his Italian parent club.
But Rangers could use a player with his intelligence, experience and creativity at the moment. They are lacking a spark, in the final third especially.
If Ramsey can get himself fit in the coming weeks he can still contrute much to the Rangers cause.
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