Michael Beale reflected on a 3-0 win against Motherwell last week with concern that his Rangers side were prone to sloppiness. And at half-time on Monday he will have been tearing his hair out at the lack of quality on display as the Gers trailed 1-0 to Celtic at Ibrox.
Just 40 minutes later there was hope that the former Queens Park Rangers manager was taking Rangers places after a wonderful second-half performance but Kyogo Furuhashi's late equaliser ensured the champions and league leaders from across the city retained a nine-point lead which keeps the Gers firmly in their place as the city's second best side. There was at least some fight in Beale's side.
For so long, this looked like the same old Rangers of the Giovanni van Bronckhorst era. They were easily bypassed in midfield, and their own lapses had led to them trailing just five minutes in. In attack they were snatching at any chance that came their way, and their better opportunities came from Celtic errors rather than from particularly incisive play from those in blue.
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But they came out for the second period with the look of a side refreshed, reinvigorated by what their manager had had to say at the break. Beale will already know that some of these Rangers players will not be a part of his long-term plans for the club, and he will have had questions over many others. But perhaps in the second half he got the kind of answers he wanted more than even the victory.
Alfredo Morelos had been the undoing of his own team in the first five minutes, his square, blind pass 40 yards from his own goal being easily intercepted by Daizen Maeda, who then slipped past a nothing challenge from James Tavernier to slot home beyond Allan McGregor.
And for much of the first half any occasional periods of control which was evident came from those in green and white. Rangers’ best chances came almost entirely down to Celtic errors, with one from Joe Hart leading to the goalkeeper having to tip a Ryan Kent effort onto the post.
But straight after the break Kent left Hart with no chance as Rangers did their rivals on the break and the winger curled a great effort inside the far post. Just six minutes later Tavernier was burying a penalty into the top corner after Carl Starfelt’s ill-judged foul on Fashion Sakala.
Beale stayed calm throughout, the speed at which he was chomping down on a piece of chewing gum giving the only impression as to whether he was happy or stressed. But with less than three minutes to go any nerves were justified. Rangers had had a couple of opportunities to clear after Aaron Mooy's initial foray on the left, and Kyogo slammed home the loose ball. The home side will see it as two points dropped after a much better second-half display.
Beale will be wise enough not to read too much into an improved 40-minute spell, but he at least has a base from which to build. Sure, he had four wins from four coming into the Old Firm clash, but performances were not of the level which would have convinced the Rangers manager.
Here, he got a great response in a huge game. The loss of the late goal simply reminds everybody on the west of the city that there is a long way to go.
This particular renaissance will take time, patience and a bigger heap of resilience.
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