Rangers against Morton should have been a comfortable afternoon in which fringe players showed Michael Beale what they can do.
Instead, it was only through a timely intervention from Johnly Yfeko that the game didn’t go to extra-time.
Rangers will need to be infinitely better than they were against Morton when PSV Eindhoven and Celtic come to town and the fan media representatives were far from happy with what they saw from Michael Beale’s side.
The strange thing is that this is a team that looks different to the one that we have seen since 2018 but is displaying exactly the same traits.
Rangers are wasteful in attack and giving up gifts in defence, frequently due to Michael Beale’s tactics.
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A change of personnel has done little to change anything.
What doesn’t seem to help is the manager going with a system and approach that has proven to be unsuccesful and a contributory factor in stagnant displays.
Fan media reacts to Rangers and Michael Beale against Morton
Writing after the game on X, Four Lads Had a Dream’s Stevie Cliffford was less than enamoured with what he saw from Rangers and Michael Beale:
“Less than convincing, positives we are through, cup games can be tricky.
“Negatives, sorry but at times it was a mess.
“Lacking tempo and that bit of quality.
“Passes, crosses over hit, then having to react to a situation we shouldn’t be in.”
Heart and Hand’s David Edgar summed up the mood of the support nicely, by simply saying:
“Finishes 2-1. We’re through. Some players got a rest. That’s about it.”
We’re through.
That is about it.
Other than Rabbi Matondo of the players who started, Michael Beale won’t have seen anything to be encouraged by.
We know Jose Cifuentes is good, that Cyriel Dessers is a decent player looking to find his sharpness but it shouldn’t take going a goal down and for us to get an hour into the game to score against a team from the lower leagues.
Too many times this season, the team that ends the game looks better than the one that is starting and that’s on the manager.