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Rangers made a nervy, unconvincing
yet ultimately victorious start to
their league campaign on Saturday
with a 2-1 win over Barnsley. A Fitz
Hall double that should have been a
treble was enough for the points
against a Tykes side that should
have wrapped the game up in the
opening ten minutes.
This was a whole new matchday
experience for many at the ground,
people going to place a bet and
ending up having a pound on a smoked
salmon and cream cheese bagel for
first goal scorer, men shooting beer
out of a Ghostbusters back pack, no
signs telling you what block you
were entering, a big screen half the
ground cant see and then at last,
something familiar, two defensive
midfielders playing together at home
in a game where everyone thought we
would be going all out in!
Dowie had certainly raised a few
eyebrows with his first selection in
anger as Rangers gaffer. Cerny was
in goal as expected behind what is
likely to remain the first choice
back four of Ramage, Hall, Gorkss
and Delaney. As I have already
mentioned, the midfield look
negative with Mahon and Leigertwood
together in the middle. They were at
least flanked by two out and out
attackers in Ledesma on the right
and Cook on the left. Agyemang and
Blackstock were together up front in
what has always looked like an
awkward partnership. Parejo only
made the bench but there was a
welcome return to fitness for
Connolly.
Rangers started the game
atrociously. As the rain pounded
down the back four were all over the
shop and getting little help from
the players in front of them. There
seemed to be runners going unchecked
all over the place and they were
finding the line all too easy to
breach. Jon Macken wasted an
excellent chance when Devaney picked
him out and he only managed to side
foot tamely at Cerny when he should
have done far better.
The R’s responded with an attack of
their own that ended with
Leigertwood forcing Steele into a
low save. With only four minutes on
the clock though disaster struck as
Barnsley took the lead. Again the
midfield dallied and allowed Howard
plenty of time to slide a ball into
the path of Hume who had found space
between Hall and Ramage. Cerny found
himself totally exposed as Hume
stroked the ball past him for a
debut goal.
Barnsley were buoyed by their early
strike and cranked the pressure up
as Rangers struggled to get
themselves organised. Macken was
causing all sorts of problems for
Cerny by continually backing into
him on corners and preventing him
getting anything on some devilish
balls whipped under the bar.
Blackstock did well to head one away
and then when Cerny dealt
unconvincingly with one he got a few
pelters from the crowd. It is good
to know that despite the many
changes at the club the ability of
the R’s fans not to give a new
player a fair crack of the whip
remains undiminished. The crowd
started to sing Lee Camp’s name
which was uncalled for. Fortunately
many in the crowd responded the
other way and when Cerny ran towards
Ellesrslie Road to fetch a ball he
was given a rousing round of
applause that I am sure will have
helped settle him down.
Cerny did well with a low save from
a Devaney effort before Ledesma and
Leigertwood both had pot shots from
distance well gathered by Steele.
Rangers needed someone to get hold
of the game and start to dictate the
play and that man was the twenty
year old Argentine Ledesma. Having
started quietly he suddenly began to
drift and gather possession and
bring others into the game.
Cook was suddenly able to get the
ball in space as the Barnsley
midfield struggled to pick up
Ledesma and he sent a couple of
trademark crosses into the box that
were well dealt with by the man
mountain Darren Moore. One area I
thought Rangers were a little naïve
in was trying to hit Blackstock with
every long free kick, Moore was
eating them up despite Dexter’s game
attempts to put him off. Mind you,
they had little option as Agyemang
isn’t interested in jumping, or
indeed moving for the most part.
Just before the half hour mark
Rangers pegged Barnsley back.
Ledesma won a free kick after
drifting in field and stepped up to
take it himself. His low effort was
well saved by Steele but he couldn’t
get the ball out of the danger area
and Hall slid in only to see his
effort fly up and hit the bar,
somehow it came back down to Hall
who was now sat on his backside on
the goal line and he managed to poke
it home for his first goal for the
R’s.
Barely two more minutes had elapsed
before Rangers hit the front through
Hall once more. A Lee Cook corner
wasn’t cleared and it ended up
looping back across the box toward
Hall some fifteen yards from goal,
he then proceeded to execute a
brilliant hooked volley that looped
past the stranded Steele into the
corner.
Rangers were certainly the better
side as the rest of the half wore on
but they couldn’t quite turn the
possession they were having into
chances. Both sides were also
finding themselves continually
baffled by some bizarre decision
making from referee Swarbrick. I
think I have done well to get this
far without slaughtering him but
wait no more, here we go.
In the programme there was a full
page advert about respecting
referees. It said that one in three
games is now played without a
referee, looks like we were one of
the unlucky two on this occasion!
Perhaps referees would garner more
respect if they didn’t continually
frustrate the players and supporters
with wildly inconsistent decisions
making? Or perhaps things as simple
as awarding throw ins the right way
might be a basic place to start? In
the first half a ball clearly looped
off a Barnsley players and went for
a throw, the ball deviated in line
by some fifteen yards but somehow he
couldn’t spot it. In the second half
a ball went out near halfway and
rolled some forty yards against the
wall of The Paddock all the way down
to the corner flag, where he allowed
the player to take the throw from!
Anyhoo…
It was the visitors who once again
started the second half on the front
foot but this time they couldn’t
carve out the chances as they had
previously. This was in no small
part down to far more diligent work
from the Rangers central midfielders
who were now covering gaps as they
should and picking up runners early.
The first real clear cut chance of
the second half came when Ledesma
once again drifted inside on the
break and played a perfectly
weighted pass into the path of the
onrushing Agyemang. Finally Agyemang
looked like he wanted it and was
only denied as Steele charged out to
bravely block at his feet.
Hume had a chance to draw Barnsley
level when Cook clattered Howard and
collected a yellow card for his
trouble. The Canadian’s shot hit the
wall and looped up toward Cerny,
with the rain teeming down he took
no chances and launched it away with
a double fisted punch when an
English keeper would have certainly
caught it.
Rangers should have been home and
hosed just short of the hour mark
when they were awarded what Simon
Davey thinks was a dubious penalty.
Blackstock surged onto a through
ball and toed the ball past Moore
who slid straight across him and
took him down. It was nailed on;
Blackstock shouldn’t have to evade a
sliding behemoth to get to the ball
so he didn’t.
We had been wondering whether Hall
would take a pen if we got one but
we didn’t really expect to see him
striding confidently forward and no
other players clamouring for the
ball. He ran straight at the ball
and everyone in the ground knew
where it was going from that,
including Steele who was practically
lying there waiting for the poorly
struck effort to roll into his path.
He parried and then gathered the
ball to leave Rangers frustrated.
Dowie said afterwards that Hall was
the nominated taker on the day,
believe that if you will!
Ledesma went close with another
excellent free kick. As everyone
shaped up to attack a flighted far
post ball the youngster wrapped his
foot round it and sent it dipping
toward the near post where Steele
once again saved well. Barnsley were
still putting pressure on the R’s
rearguard but they couldn’t quite
make that telling final pass. All
too often Cerny was able to quickly
zip off his line to gather an over
hit pass on a slick surface. He had
certainly gained more confidence as
the game went on and hopefully
silenced some of those that were on
his back early in the game. Ledesma
was involved again as he and
Blackstock sent Leigertwood in on
goal but he duffed his shot into the
turf and Steele was untroubled.
Dowie changed formation when he
withdrew the poor Agyemang and sent
Spanish youngster Dani Parejo into
the fray. He didn’t really get a
touch for the first ten minutes he
was on but then suddenly he seemed
to pick up the pace of the game and
almost sent Ledesma in with a
beautiful slide rule pass behind the
full back.
Hassell tested Cerny with a low free
kick before the game suddenly turned
ugly. Delaney was cleaned out in
front of the dug outs and referee
Swarbrick played the advantage and
play switched to the other side of
the pitch. Parejo had a slide at Van
Homoet and missed player and ball
but the Dutchman took umbrage and
went back at Parejo with a
horrendous thigh high lunge that
found its target. It was Swarbrick’s
easiest decision of the day and the
red card was out.
Ledesma went off shortly afterwards
to a thunderous ovation, the
Argentinean is still a bit rough
round the edges and still hits the
deck too easily and too often but he
can most definitely play. Alberti
came on for his debut in his place.
Late on Parejo had a chance to open
his account but he pulled his volley
from twenty yards wide of Steele’s
goal.
Hall went down in a heap in injury
time as he tried to repel one last
Barnsley attack before the ref
brought an end to a game that
Rangers were grateful and fortunate
to win. This was a pretty even game
despite Rangers having the lion’s
share of the chances and making
something of a mockery of Simon
Davey’s assertion that there was
only one team in it during the
second half.
There is plenty of work to be done,
the back four and keeper need to
play together to get an
understanding going, the balance of
the midfield with two defensive
players in the middle isn’t right
and Blackstock needs a partner up
front that wants to play. There are
positives though, the main one being
the excellent display from Ledesma.
Early days.
simon@qprnet.com |
