The first half performance of the Rangers team was very enjoyable to watch on Tuesday night. Despite tailing off somewhat in the second half, the game overall was excellent. The attacking play in particular was full of quality, with many players shining. Here’s a look at my opinion on how the players rated.
WES FODERINGHAM – 7
Foderingham made an excellent save in the first half to keep the score at 2-0. He was also making very good decisions with his distribution, which led to strong possession. He did have two moments of slackness though. One was when he came out for a deep cross in the first half, and dropped the ball under pressure. The second led to the St Johnstone goal, as he misread the flight of the ball and got caught underneath it. Neither has cost the team anything, but he’ll be annoyed by them nonetheless.
JAMES TAVERNIER – 8
That’s now four matches as captain for Tavernier, and four wins. There’s been 17 goals scored in those games. In this one, he scored and assisted to make another strong contribution. He wasn’t particularly stretched defensively in any way, which gave him plenty of licence to get forward. As always, his link up with Candeias was good. He showed composure with his penalty to open the scoring, which led to the team playing with more confidence. His cross for the fourth goal was also good.
RUSSELL MARTIN – 6
The centre-halves had a largely quiet game, especially in the first half. Due to that, the main moment Martin will be judged on is how he was at fault for the St Johnstone goal. That was a mistake he’ll be annoyed by, but that aside he played well. His passing was quick enough to keep the team playing at a high tempo. He read the game well and was never caught out with a ball over the top.
DAVID BATES – 6
Similarly to Martin, Bates had a relatively easy night. He was unfairly deemed to have fouled a player which led to a disallowed goal. On the ball, he had a couple of loose moments, but very quickly recovered. Also read the game pretty well, and kept the team on the front foot.
ANDY HALLIDAY – 7
Halliday was making his first start in a league game, and was playing at left back. Earlier in his career, that was his position, but he’s rarely filled in there for Rangers. As such, he had a couple of poor moments, one in particular where he was caught out by a ball over the top and booked for a foul. As the game wore on, though, he done pretty well. He seemed less inclined to get forward than John would in that position. That did leave more room for Murphy to play in, however, so it may have been a managerial decision rather than the player. Solid overall, and having him there kept the team balanced.
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GREG DOCHERTY – 9
We’ve absolutely stolen a player in Docherty at £600k. In this match, he showed exactly why he’s so highly rated by many. His touch was excellent, his energy high, and his passing incisive. The through ball for the Windass goal was a touch of class, the sort of pass that would be featured on Sky Sports News for days had it come from a player in the English Premier League. He’s now developing a good understanding with Goss, and seems to suit games where teams sit in and defend deep. An excellent display.
SEAN GOSS – 9
Yet again, Goss made the game look easy. His pass for Morelos to win the penalty was a cracking piece of vision. He controlled the tempo of the match, and rarely wasted a pass. He also scored a great free kick, another example of his ability with set pieces. In a defensive sense, he read the game well and filled in when Halliday was caught up the park.
DANIEL CANDEIAS – 7
Candeias was, as always, full of running and energy. He linked up well with the other forward players, and his movement was dangerous. In terms of assists, he wasn’t able to get one for this match, but was still involved in a couple of the goals. His form has been so impressive that this was something of a mediocre match for him.
JOSH WINDASS – 8
Windass was linking up the play really well, dropping off the defenders and finding space. It was from that sort of area he made the run which led to his goal. The passing and movement was impressive, and his run was perfectly timed for a rather easy finish. He didn’t have as many chances as previous matches, but was instrumental in the good football. A couple of loose passes on the counter will have annoyed him, though.
JAMIE MURPHY – 8
Murphy yet again had a great game. The only potential issue was that he had to come off injured, which worries the fans with the games on the horizon. He won the free kick which Goss converted for the third goal. He was also part of the controlled possession which led to the second goal. His variety of movement meant it was difficult to mark him, and he could have had an assist or two with some of his cutbacks.
ALFREDO MORELOS – 9
Morelos scored a cracking goal, which needs to be seen to be appreciated. However, his link-up play, all-round game and leading of the line was far more impressive. He’s done well in this regard all season, but this game may have been his best yet. He had a goal chopped off which replays suggested should have stood. He was unlucky not to set up Cummings at least twice towards the end of the match as well. Even some of his bigger critics in the media were impressed.
JASON CUMMINGS – 4
Cummings got a bit longer than usual in this match, but looked as though he was trying just a bit too much. One shot from the edge of the box was blocked when it looked goalbound.
BRUNO ALVES – 3
Alves came on for Murphy and slotted in well at centre half. Won a few headers and passed the ball well.
Any ratings you disagree with? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your thoughts!