Rangers might only have themselves to blame for dropping two points against Motherwell having a spurned a host of chances, but one controversial stat has been catching the eye on Twitter.
According to WyScout, there was a remarkable 51 minutes of dead time in the match meaning the ball was only in play for 46 minutes of the 97 played.
According to podcaster John Walker, this is a whole 18 or 19 minutes less than the UK average only two seasons ago.
Whilst Rangers fans might acknowledge that fundamentally their side should’ve had enough about them to bury Motherwell in the eventual 1-1 draw, the stat has drawn some criticism.
This is because there’s a feeling that this is not only an indictment of the negative tactics employed by Graeme Alexander’s Motherwell side, but of some weak officiating which failed to deal with time-wasting.
Referees have a responsibility to clamp down on tactics like this and for some fans it’s reflective of officiating which enabled unsportsmanlike tactics which impact the quality of the game.
Steven McLean and his team have also come in for criticism for allowing Fashion Sakala’s offside opener to stand and by dismissing strong penalty shouts for both teams.
Rangers fans have refrained from too heavily criticising Motherwell for employing the tactics or earning a draw but have rather focused on those responsible for policing the match:
https://twitter.com/EvanAlex95/status/1439911439465164805
https://twitter.com/WATP115/status/1439899645459718148
https://twitter.com/StephenLouch/status/1439940188222930955
Rangers remain a point clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership despite the result as the Gers continue to properly kickstart their performances this season.
The club’s Old Firm rivals also dropped points this weekend as one Rangers loanee helped put Celtic to the sword in a stunning win.
