When you hear the old “game of two halves” cliche, it’s easy to dismiss. No one could deny that the Rangers performance on Saturday was one that could be described that way. The ratings below would all be far higher had the first half performance continued. Sadly, the team simply crumbled when the first goal was scored, and the ratings reflect that.
WES FODERINGHAM – 5
Had next to nothing to do but pick the ball out of the net. No chance with either goal, and will have been frustrated by how they were gifted to Hamilton. His distribution was decent, and he dealt with crosses and set pieces well, but had no real impact upon the game in any way.
JAMES TAVERNIER – 6
Tavernier was good going forward as always, but as the match wore on his frustration grew. Rangers played a lot of crosses during the game, and his link-up with Candeias was great at times. As the crosses never led to anything, he started to play more and more from deep areas. In the second half, as teammates started to take easy options, he tried to do loads himself. His determination and frustration led to poor decisions and seeming panic on the ball at times.
ROSS McCRORIE – 5
The error from McCrorie which led to the first goal was a real howler. It was the moment that turned the match, and he knew that instantly. However, he did recover to play not too badly overall. He’ll learn a lot from this sort of game, and we saw that he can get mistakes out of his head and keep going. This will be remembered as his poorest game so far, but there’s still a confidence in his ability to hold down a place in the team.
DANNY WILSON – 5
In the first half, the defenders were largely untested. As such, Wilson got a lot of the ball and was able to play longer passes. There were a few which were misplaced though, and that grew as the game went on. As one of the more experienced players in the side, you hoped he’d take responsibility when the team went behind. There were no visible signs of that though. Poor at the second goal as well.
LEE HODSON – 4
Seemed uncomfortable at left back again. Was never sure when to overlap or when to stay, and that led to Windass being blocked off in front of him more than once. Should have done better at the second goal as well. The team lacked balance in an attacking sense due to Hodson being at left back.
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DANIEL CANDEIAS – 5
As mentioned above, Rangers played a lot of crosses during the game. The vast majority came from the right, and Candeias was a little unlucky that a few didn’t lead to more. As is easily noted, I’m a huge fan of Candeias. One weakness in his game, though, is that he tries just a bit too much when the team are behind. His decision making dipped as the game went on, with crosses too often coming from deep. Probably his least effective game for Rangers so far.
RYAN JACK – 5
In the first half, Jack was dominant in midfield and kept the team on the front foot. In the second, he was largely anonymous. For a player who was captain of his previous side, it was poor to see his lack of influence as the game wore on. His passing was a little inconsistent, with first half cross balls going out of play.
JASON HOLT – 5
Holt’s energy was impressive at times, but he never made any memorable impact on the game at all. There were a couple of situations in the second half where his lack of strength frustrated the fans. I’ve not had a chance to look at the stats, but I’d be surprised if he offered a lot to the team in this match.
JOSH WINDASS – 6
Windass was the best player in the first half. His movement and pace led to more than a few chances being created, and if Morelos was on better form he’d have finished the game with a couple of assists. Had a good header saved in the second half. He was given a fair amount of stick by the fans, and many will never take to him, but he’s been clearly important to the team in an attacking sense recently.
KENNY MILLER – 5
Another game from Miller where he spent most it in midfield. Created a couple of good chances in the first half, and should have scored himself. In the second half, he played too deep and left Morelos isolated at times. It was understandable that he would feel frustrated, but as captain of the side his leadership didn’t bring out the best in others. His form at Ibrox mirrors the results the team have had.
ALFREDO MORELOS – 4
This feels harsh, as he clearly worked really hard in the game. However, his finishing was poor, and his confidence looks shot. You get the feeling that one goal in this game would have seen him go on to score more. The missed header from the Windass cross was particularly poor. There were some good moments of link-up play, but few would argue against the opinion that he had a poor game.
RYAN HARDIE – 3
Came on relatively late, and had no real chance to make an impact.
EDUARDO HERRERA – 3
The same as Hardie, had little time to make any mark on the game. One chance on the spin was hit straight at the keeper.
AARON NEMANE – 2
Came on very late, looked out of place when running at the full back.
What ratings would you give the players? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your thoughts!