Today was Rangers’ first meeting with the Dens club
since it was put into administration five weeks ago.
Craig Moore made a welcome return to the ranks, with
another injury absentee Christian Nerlinger on the
bench. There was no Zurab Khizanishvili (signed from
Dundee much to that club’s chagrin last summer) in the
Rangers team, while Gavin Rae (the subject of three
bids from Ibrox over the festive season) was also
missing. Nacho Novo (similarly the subject of transfer
speculation in the same direction in recent weeks) was
however included in the home line-up.
Manager Alex McLeish made two changes from the side
that defeated Hearts eight days ago with the
aforementioned Moore and Nuno Capucho replacing
Stephen Hughes and Michael Mols.
That there is little love lost between the two clubs
has been self-evident for quite some time, for quite
apart from the fall-out over the Khizanishvili and Rae
transfers there was also the small matter of 5,000
empty seats at the Scottish Cup Final in May,
representing some £150,000 in lost revenue at a time
when either club can ill-afford such profligacy.
Rangers – wearing their change strip of red-and-white
stripes – were on the offensive from the opening
seconds, Peter Lovenkrands playing a one-two with
Mikel Arteta before chipping over the outrushing
Julian Speroni only to see David Mackay clear the ball
in two minutes.
Two minutes later Capucho should have done better than
head wide from a Chris Burke cross, but the same move
and the same combination produced the opening goal
sixty seconds later.
The loss of such an early goal could have deflated
Dundee, given their massive off-field problems, yet
Stefan Klos had to look alert in nine minutes when he
held Barry Smith’s twenty-yard shot after a Brent
Sancho drive had been blocked.
Rangers were very much in command however – Capucho’s
25-yard free-kick flashing inches wide in seventeen
minutes.
Dundee continued to battle – within sixty seconds Novo
had created space on the right before crossing for
Barry Smith whose 22-yard shot was held by Klos, then
on the twenty-minute mark the Spaniard seized on a
Mark Fotheringham pass before embarking on a solo run
that ended when his shot was beaten out by Klos.
The home side were pushing for the equaliser, yet were
almost caught on the counter-attack three minutes
later when Lovenkrands raced onto a Capucho pass only
to see Speroni deflect his shot wide for a corner.
Klos again denied Novo from a Robert Linn pass on the
half-hour, but four minutes later Rangers were 2-0
ahead when a Michael Ball free-kick from all of thirty
yards sailed over the heads of defenders and attackers
alike to nestle in the corner of the net.
Dundee might have reduced the deficit before the
interval when Lee Mair’s eighteen-yard volley from a
Mark Fotheringham free-kick struck the outside of the
post, but the half ended with Rangers on the attack,
Speroni denying Lovenkrands once again after the Dane
had been released by a Michael Ball pass, then from
the resulting Burke corner Bob Malcolm’s thirty-yard
drive flashed over.
It was Rangers’ turn to strike an upright in the
opening seconds after the restart – Lovenkrands,
released by Arteta, saw his left-foot shot come
crashing back off the woodwork.
Arteta shaved a post with a 22-yard free-kick on the
hour, then six minutes later there was a welcome
return for Nerlinger, replacing Shota Arveladze.
Nacho Novo was a constant thorn in the side of the
Champions’ defence, threading the ball through in 68
minutes only to see Linn crowded out by Moore.
Rangers were sitting back, presumably content that the
game was won, yet Garry Brady might have set up a
grandstand finish when his shot from a Lee Wilkie
cross flew over in 72 minutes.
There was yet another injury scare for the Light Blues
six minutes later when Lovenkrands limped off, being
replaced by Paulo Vanoli.
The Italian should have wrapped up the points in 87
minutes when he shot straight at Speroni following a
classic break that had seen Burke release Capucho wide
on the left, the Portuguese forward’s square pass to
Vanoli offering a clear invitation to convert.
Nevertheless the final whistle signalled three more
points for Rangers as the vital New Year fixture at
Celtic Park beckons.
Manager Alex McLeish afterwards stressed:
“This is not an easy venue to come to. We were
generally in control and could have won more
comfortably. Nuno Capucho did well – he gives me more
options up front.”
On the Gavin Rae transfer situation, he stated:
“Discussions are ongoing. He would be a welcome
addition to our squad.”
DUNDEE Speroni; Mackay, Wilkie, Mair, Hernandez;
Smith, Sancho (McLean 66), Brady, Linn; Novo,
Fotheringham
UNUSED SUBS McAfferty, Macdonald, Cameron, Robertson
RANGERS Klos; Ricksen, Moore, Berg, Ball; Burke,
Malcolm, Arteta, Lovenkrands (Vanoli 78); Capucho,
Arveladze (Nerlinger 66)
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Ostenstad, Ross
REFEREE Dougie McDonald