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The Scotsman
  • 29/09/2024
Scotsman Sport editor Mark Atkinson and football writer Graham Falk discuss a nervy 1-0 win for Rangers over Hibs, as Ibrox reopens fully for the first time since May.
Transcript
00:00A 1-0 win here for Rangers at Ibrox thanks to a goal from Tom Lawrence, a sublime goal.
00:07Mark, a nervy performance for Rangers but a battling one for Hibs?
00:10Yeah, I think Hibs leave here with regrets to be honest and Rangers leave here with relief
00:15because they weren't the best Rangers whatsoever. They looked tired, looked jaded.
00:21Philippe Clermont talked about that in his post-match press conference.
00:24He said, look we were in Malmo less than 72 hours ago and they played like a team that had been in Sweden 72 hours ago.
00:29They just weren't at it, their passing wasn't crisp enough.
00:33Tom Lawrence scores a wonderful goal, I mean I think we were saying that's one of the best goals we've seen this season.
00:38And that was basically the difference between the two teams.
00:42Of course Hibs had their moment, a penalty kick for Kukaravic, a poor penalty.
00:46Well saved by Butland but the Ukrainians got to hit that ball a bit harder for me.
00:51They were the key moments of the match but yeah, Rangers got the job done
00:56and I think sometimes there's a lot of value in just getting the job done,
01:00especially when you're five points behind at the moment.
01:03A win's important. Hibs played well, best I've seen Hibs play this season actually.
01:08But they probably weren't coming here banking on three points but they'll leave here thinking they could have had one.
01:14They'll get better in the season I'm sure.
01:16Rangers, yeah, they can just go right, we've got to win.
01:20It's never ending for Rangers now.
01:22It's never ending for Rangers now.
01:23Leon Arthurs at night here, Vincent Johnson again.
01:25It's going to be tough for that squad if they keep going.
01:28You look at that penalty and ultimately it doesn't matter because it wasn't scored,
01:31but a bit of disagreement there in the press conference.
01:33Yeah, we were just talking, weren't we, Graeme, about Philippe Clement.
01:36A brilliant moment where he gets up and actually stands at the press conference
01:40and talks about how it shouldn't be a penalty using body mechanics and whatnot.
01:45He did very well.
01:46He did joke that he wasn't as flexible as he was.
01:49I don't think he was ever that flexible for a football player.
01:51He was quite a gangly fellow in his day.
01:53One thing I'd say about that handball,
01:55and I kind of agree with Clement in that where his hand is going,
01:58it's going up to his hands up here.
02:00But it happens in the six-yard box.
02:02If it doesn't hit his arm, it's going in.
02:05And I think that's the difference where referees will say,
02:08look, okay, if that happens on the edge of the box or just inside the box,
02:11it's not an infringe goal.
02:13See if it happens in the six-yard box by stopping a goal-scoring opportunity.
02:18I think it has to be a penalty, regardless of whether it's a grey area or not.
02:22I think it's high enough.
02:24And it definitely hits his hand.
02:26I think his elbow suggests it's a penalty.
02:28So for me, Nick Walsh and the VAR got it right.
02:31I know why Clement's unhappy.
02:33I think it's a penalty.
02:35I think you felt the same as well, Graeme.
02:36Yeah, I did.
02:37I mean, I think I kind of agree with everything you just said.
02:40I can understand because Clement was saying,
02:43he says he's furt up.
02:44When your furt goes up, your hands go up.
02:46And that does make sense.
02:47Biologically, it makes sense.
02:48But if he doesn't get the ball touching his hand,
02:52then the ball's in the back of the net and it's one more penalty.
02:54Yeah, I mean, I think Clement was saying that Butlin would save it.
02:57I mean, I think that's 50-50 whether Butlin saves it or not.
03:00It's a very, very quick moment.
03:02But look, in the end, it's immaterial because Kukarevic steps up
03:07and I just never felt he was going to score it.
03:09I know I feel bad because I think he's a good player, Kukarevic.
03:15He actually played pretty well in general play,
03:17but he just didn't look composed.
03:20And that was the big difference.
03:22Rangers actually didn't kick on from that moment.
03:25I think you're thinking Rangers might go and get a lift from that at half-time.
03:28But in fact, Hibs played a bit better football, I thought.
03:31And Dwight Gale, what a chap.
03:33I mean, a guy that scored lots of goals in EPL.
03:36I'm just looking at a goal here actually from this far point.
03:39You just got to head back to the bottom corner.
03:40You just wait until the net kind of bowls on you a little bit.
03:43Lots of positives for Hibs.
03:45I think Hibs will leave here actually feeling better about themselves.
03:48They've had a poor start to the season.
03:50New head coach David Gray coming in.
03:52They've got new players.
03:53They haven't really gelled up until this point,
03:56but they beat St. John's two weeks ago.
03:58I think they're well here today.
03:59And they look like a team that's probably starting to pick up now.
04:03I think we're talking about Hibs.
04:04There is a lot of positives there.
04:06I was talking to you during the game,
04:07I was at the game against Celtic when the game was over in 30 minutes.
04:10And I noticed that they played very well,
04:11but Hibs look like a far more gelled unit as you said before,
04:14which is a positive.
04:15It's just that two things have happened.
04:17David Gray has had more time on the training ground to get his ideas across.
04:21And secondly, a lot of players came in this summer and they've started to gel.
04:25The two centre-halves, Warren O'Hara and Marvin Ekventeta,
04:27they played really well today.
04:28The goalkeeper, Joseph Percik, I thought was much more secure than he's been in recent weeks.
04:33Kwon and Treantis in midfield, very strong.
04:36You didn't feel like they just could play through Hibs that much.
04:39It's now probably just about getting that clinical edge in the final third,
04:44because for all of them, Junior Hoylert played really well,
04:46Kukarevic played well and Cadden was good down there, right?
04:49They didn't score.
04:50No.
04:51They've got to be playing a bit more ruthless in the final third.
04:53But then you feel like it's coming a bit more.
04:56If you compare them to Hearts,
04:57and I saw you yesterday at Tynecastle,
04:59I think Hibs are a more cohesive team right now.
05:02Yeah, positives from both of them I think.
05:04Yeah, Rangers will be pleased because it's the gaps, five points.
05:07Yeah.
05:08It's not a Celtic one if it just has Aberdeen too.
05:10Yeah.
05:11That's the thing.
05:12It's about churning out results when you've got those rubber fixtures,
05:14and that ultimately will be easy to play on.
05:17We're very excited.
05:18The rest of us have got to shoot it.
05:20The rest of us.
05:21Over and out.