1 hour ago
1
When Max Aarons buried the ball low into the bottom corner deep into stoppage-time, the Rangers bench erupted in a fashion rarely witnessed so far under Russell Martin.
Clinging to his job for dear life, Martin roared and celebrated with his players and staff amid the mayhem of a last-minute winner.
It had looked certain that Rangers’ winless run would extend to six league matches and be prolonged into October.
Martin was spared that ignominy thanks to a dramatic intervention from Aarons, a player who was brought to Ibrox in the summer as one of his key signings but whose poor form has made him a figure of ridicule.
Almost in the blink of an eye, however, euphoria turned to enmity. Rather than celebrating the manager’s first league victory, Rangers fans doubled down on their calls for Martin to be sacked.
The atmosphere was totally bizarre, but that’s where Rangers are at right now. There is mutiny among the supporters because of a boss who is failing to convince.
Max Aarons celebrates his stoppage-time winner in the 2-1 triumph against Livingston
Aarons sealed Rangers' first league win of the season by firing low into the corner of the net
Rangers fans chanted for Russell Martin's removal even after their team had secured victory
If Rory McIlroy and Team Europe felt they were on the end of dog’s abuse at Bethpage Black over the weekend, that was nothing to what Martin had to endure from his own punters.
This win will be enough to keep him in a job. For now, at least. And yet, even if Aarons proves to be Martin’s saviour in the short-term, it only papers over the cracks.
Rangers’ performance, especially in the second half, left the feeling that there are still major questions to be asked about the direction of travel under one of the most unpopular figures in the club’s history.
The team played reasonably well in the first half, with Martin insisting that he felt it was their best display of the season in the first 45 minutes.
Scorer of the opening goal, James Tavernier, then saw a penalty saved by the outstanding Jerome Prior, the Livingston keeper excelling throughout the match.
Rangers’ Derek Cornelius had a goal ruled out, so it would be remiss not to recognise their superiority in that opening period.
However, they made life difficult for themselves and invited pressure from the home side. There was a nervousness to them, something which David Martindale’s Livi played on.
In the end, Martin’s side got the job done. Even having ended the long wait for a league victory, though, the manager is by no means out of the woods just yet.
He made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 to Genk in the Europa League last Thursday night, with Bojan Miovski, Oliver Antman and Connor Barron coming in to replace Youssef Chermiti, Mikey Moore and Mohamed Diomande.
Livingston, meanwhile, came into this on the back of a 3-2 defeat to Dundee last weekend, with boss Martindale also making three changes to his team. Stevie May, Mahamadou Susoho and Andy Winter all came into the side, with Shane Blaney, Robbie Muirhead and Tete Yengi dropping to the bench.
Since winning promotion back to the top flight in the summer, Livi’s only victory had come against a Falkirk side who also came up from last season’s Championship.
They would surely have fancied their chances against a Rangers side who have stumbled from one disaster to another under Martin over these first couple of months of the new season.
Livi had a decent chance within the first four minutes. From Scott Pittman’s through ball, May had a clear sight at goal but could only fire low at Jack Butland.
Lewis Smith then bent one just wide of the target as the home side sensed a clear vulnerability in the visitors in those early stages. Rangers had a terrific chance themselves. Nico Raskin’s clever first-time ball released Miovski into space, only for the North Macedonian striker to blaze his shot over the bar.
With only 16 minutes on the clock, the travelling Rangers support, spanning three full stands around the stadium, started their chants against Martin.
The switch of play out to Djeidi Gassama wide on the left was always on for Rangers and was a constant source of promise during the first half.
It was that route down the left flank which helped them create the opening goal on 23 minutes, with Gassama playing the ball over to Antman beyond the back post.
Antman cushioned the ball back in and Tavernier produced an excellent, acrobatic finish high into the roof of the net for 1-0. Incredibly, the goal marked the first time that Rangers had been in the lead in a league match since the opening day away at Motherwell.
They had a great chance to double their lead just a few minutes later when the eagle eye of VAR spotted May pulling Raskin down inside the box at a set-piece.
After referee John Beaton had awarded the penalty, Tavernier stepped up and saw his spot-kick saved by Prior.
That was the start of a hectic period for the Livi keeper, who then made two more brilliant saves to deny John Souttar and Barron.
Rangers had settled into a decent rhythm and thought they had doubled their lead when Cornelius converted from close range at a set-piece, only for it to be ruled out for handball. Nonetheless, it had probably been their most positive 45 minutes of domestic football in the Martin era.
As he clings to his job game by game, those little things feel like small victories for the manager right now.
The positivity wouldn’t last. Rangers dropped off after half-time and invited Livingston back into the game.
Butland was forced into action on 62 minutes when he clawed away a powerful shot from May. The home side eventually broke through and equalised on 68 minutes.
From Rangers’ point of view, the defending was criminal as they switched off and allowed Livingston to work a two-on-one from a short throw-in.
Adam Montgomery sent in a good cross from the right, with Mo Sylla bulleting a header beyond Butland. With that, the atmosphere switched instantly.
Those chants against Martin started again. After a decent first half, his team had totally taken their foot off the gas and the tide of the match had shifted.
Desperate to try and scrape any kind of victory he could, Martin threw caution to the wind and chucked more and more bodies forward with each substitution he made.
When it was signalled there would be eight minutes of stoppage time, it was some sort of lifeline to a manager and a team who scarcely deserved it.
Miovski thought he had won it when he flashed a header towards goal. The outstanding Prior tipped the ball over the bar.
Tavernier’s corner found its way to Aarons at the back post and the substitute made no mistake in lashing the ball low into the bottom corner. What unfolded thereafter was bizarre. When a VAR check made it look like the goal could be ruled out, Rangers fans took their anger out on Martin and chanted for him to be sacked.
When it was confirmed the goal would stand, a lot of them continued to sing anyway. Rarely can a manager’s first league win with a new club have been met with calls for them to be sacked. It was that kind of day — and it’s been that kind of season so far.
Livingston (4-3-3): Prior 8; Finlayson 5 (Blaney 65), Sylla 7, Wilson 7, Montgomery 7; Smith 7, Tait 6, Susoho 7; Pittman 7, May 7 (Bokila 75), Winter 7 (McLennan 65).
Booked: Tait, May, Finlayson.
Manager: David Martindale 6.
Rangers (4-3-3): Butland 7; Tavernier 7.5, Souttar 7, Cornelius 7 (Aarons 73), Meghoma 5 (Moore 82); Raskin 7, Barron 7 (Bajrami 82), Aasgaard 6 (Rothwell 73); Antman 6 (Chermiti 73), Miovski 6.5, Gassama 7.
Booked: Bajrami.
Manager: Russell Martin 6.
Referee: John Beaton.
Attendance: N/A.
