Hibernian Heartbreak: Late Penalty Hands Dundee United a Draw

Hibernian were once again on the wrong end of a late goal as Dundee United profited from a Hibernian manager David Gray Hibernian were once again on the wrong end of a late goal as Dundee United profited from a a 90th minute penalty to leave Easter Road with a point a piece. A curling Lewis Miller header had put them in front before the half hour mark as he met a pinpoint Jordan Obita cross. Both full backs were lively during the game, with Obita causing problems down United’s right hand side. Hibs were in control for the majority of the game, looking assured in possession as Joe Newell looked to dictate the tempo. United took a more direct approach, Sam Dalby holding up the Hibernian centre backs well as the wide players looked to get in behind Obita and Miller. The opener seemed an apt reward for their attacking efforts but Hibernain were now tasked with holding onto a lead for over an hour. For fans of the Edinburgh side, the memories of conceding two late goals in the reverse fixture less than a month ago would have a brought a sense of déjà vu. Going into the second half, Jim Goodwin switched from his favoured back three to a four but his plans were soon hampered as substitute Kristijan Trapanovski suffered another hamstring setback and was forced off just twelve minutes after coming on. David Gray’s side had the lion’s share of chances but could not put the game to bed, Hyeokku Kwon unable to take advantage of United keeper Jack Walton straying too far off his line in. As full time approached, there was noticeable tension as Hibernian looked to avoid conceding yet another late goal. On the 86th minute those fears became reality as a penalty was awarded after Mykola Kukharevych’s shirt pull on Emmanuel Adegboyega in the box was caught by VAR. The Ukrainian was awarded his second yellow of the game before Sam Dalby dispatched the spot kick to draw United level. The result means Hibernian remain rooted at the foot of the table and are now winless in their last six games. Dundee United meanwhile leapfrog Motherwell into fourth, sitting only three points behind Rangers, albeit having played a game more than both. Groundhog day at Easter Road What do Kilmarnock, Dundee United and Hearts all have in common? This season, they have all taken points from Hibernian after the 85th minute. United have even done it twice in the past couple of weeks. Hibs fans will be wondering what it is they can do to remedy this habit of collapsing at the tail end of games. If there are any positives to be taken from another missed opportunity it is that they had been dominant up for the majority of the game, although that will do little to quell the anger in the stands. Junior Hoilett and Obita combined well to create chances with the latter getting the assist for his side and defensively, Marvin Ekpiteta led a backline that looked resolute until the penalty. Perhaps more difficult than planning how to break down a stubborn St. Mirren, David Gray will need to pick many heads up off the floor if they are to turn this season around.   What the manager’s said Hibernian manager David Gray “I think if the first one’s a penalty then the second one’s a penalty, I thought the players had done enough to win the game. Did we create enough chances to go out win the game and kill the game off? Yes that’s the message to the players, of course it is. We need to be more clinical.”   Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin “I don’t think the free kick should have been awarded albeit thereafter we need to switch on, they take it quickly, We made the changes at half time, it was nothing to do with the performance of Strain and Gallagher. We just had to make a change to try impose ourselves on Hibs a little bit higher up the park and I thought that paid off in the end.”

Rangers set up Old Firm League Cup Final in a second-half comeback win against Motherwell

An all-Glasgow clash of Celtic v Rangers is set for December 15th. The current holders Rangers earned themselves a place in the Scottish League Cup Final, as a double in the second half from Dessers and Bjarami was enough to see off the Steelmen. After a run of substandard results, Manager Philippe Clement’s team relieved some pressure on his job as they saw off a gritty performance from Stewart Kettlewell’s Motherwell side. With a total attendance of just over 37 thousand fans feelings on the current form and the state of the club were on full display as Rangers did not fill their full allocation at Hampden. A sign displayed by the Union Bears in the first half of the game stating ‘Park and Co. Time to Go”. A reference to the higher-ups in the club. After falling nine points behind both Celtic and Aberdeen in the league following the defeat in Pittodrie midweek. Fans were quick to point the finger at the manager, demanding change but more importantly a response today. For Motherwell, they went into this game in good form but missing key players. This gave teenage sensation Lennon Miller a chance to captain the side in a semi-final of a cup. A proud moment for the teenager and his family. The Ibrox side dominated the first half in terms of possession and had plenty of opportunities to open the scoring with chances from Cerny who looked the most dangerous player on the park. Lawrence, Barron and Dessers all had chances too, the latter who probably should have had two to his name with a poor effort going wide and straight at the keeper. Despite having plenty of shots it was mostly tame efforts shot right at Motherwell stopper Oxborogh. Despite poor ball retention and having very little of the ball, Motherwell broke the deadlock and opened the scoring from their first attempt on goal. In the 25th minute, Andy Halliday got on the end of a terrific cross floated into the box by Steve Seddon as he slotted the ball past Jack Butland. He opted not to celebrate his first goal for the Steelmen against his former side whom he made over 100 appearances. The sound of boos from the Rangers fans and jubilation from Motherwell rung out around the National stadium as the whistle went to signify halftime. The Gers were the first team out of the tunnel after the break as they looked to get themselves back into the tie. It didn’t take long for Rangers to respond as in the 49th minute Cyriel Dessers put his poor efforts from the first half aside as he confidently put the ball in the back of the net. This breaks his 8-game goalless streak, with his last goal coming in the last round of this tournament back on September 21st. Despite Motherwell having more of the ball in this half compared to the opening 45, Rangers continued knocking on the door with wingers Cerny and Bajrami causing all kinds of problems for Motherwell. In the 81st minute Man of the Match, Cerny played a superb pass through to Bajrami whose deflected shot fired the Gers into the lead for the first time in the game. Motherwell’s defence showed great resilience for most of the game today despite missing some key players in Captain Paul McGinn and Vice-Captain Stephen O’Donnell. However, Bajrami’s goal was enough to send the Ibrox side through to the final six weeks from today. Winger Vaclav Cerny led an inspired performance today as for 90 minutes he caused problem after problem for the Steelmen. Despite general negative feelings around Rangers at the moment you have to say he has remained the one shining light for the fans. Regarding his current form, he downplayed it insisting the overall result was more important. He said: “The most important thing is that today we got to the final and the fact I could help is always a good feeling.”. Throughout the match, Rangers adopted a possession-driven game utilising their wingers and overlapping fullbacks playing constant balls into the box as well as plenty of shots from central midfielders outside the box. Motherwell for the duration of the match chose to sit in and play long balls over the Rangers back line to forwards as well as waiting for counter-attacking opportunities. After the match, Motherwell Manager Stewart Kettlewell was complimentary of his players today. He said: “We’ve had a good start to the season, so I’m not going to sit here and criticise the players because when you see them slumped to their knees at the end that wasn’t a disappointment, that was exhaustion. They poured so much in, and I can’t ask any more from them” They now turn their attention back to the league where they currently sit in fifth place just three points off Rangers. They face St. Johnstone at home. Rangers will be back in European action on Thursday when they travel to Greece to take on Olympiacos in what will prove to be quite a hostile atmosphere. To this a delighted Manager Philippe Clement said: “It’s a nice place to go. It’s always hot there, because of the sun but also because of the fans.” He also said: “It’s a team with a lot of physical qualities and technical qualities, they’re attacking-minded. So, we need to play a really big game there to get points.” Credit must be given to both sides in what was a cagey affair at the National Stadium today. Motherwell were solid in their shape and defensively despite being without some usual starting players and just fell short in the end. 18-year-old Lennon Miller did not look out of place as captain. Rangers answered critics and despite going in behind at the break they kept pushing for a much-needed win. They now give their players and fans a final to look forward to and a chance to win the first available silverware of the season. Motherwell: Oxborough, Kaleta, (Blaney 75’), Casey, Gordon, Balmer, Seddon, (Sparrow 56’), Halliday, Miller

If not Philipe Clement’s then who, we examine a list of potential replacements

A difficult start to the season has left Philipe Clement’s position at Ibrox shrouded in doubt. Despite recently signing a new contract, the show of confidence from the board has not had the desired impact. Should the Belgian be shown the door, we examine a list potential replacements that have been associated with the role in recent weeks. Steven Gerrard A hero to many, given he not only won Rangers their first title in a decade, but in doing so stopped Celtic winning the coveted ten in a row. Things did end on a slightly sour note as he upped sticks and moved to Aston Villa in November. A poor spell in the Premier League, made worse by the success of his replacement Unai Emery was incredibly damaging to his reputation and has almost certainly put paid to his ambition of managing Liverpool. A move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq has not helped either, with critics pointing to the standard of the league and Gerrard’s reported salary as an indication of a manager not challenging himself. The move has not proven to be as simple as expected either, speculation continues to build around Gerrard’s tenuous position at the club. Unfortunately for Gerrard, Rangers fans might not be willing to welcome him back as Celtic did Brendan Rodgers. Derek McInnes The bookies favourite for the position, McInnes has built Kilmarnock into one of the league’s biggest overachievers since achieving promotion two years ago. There was disappointment following their European exit and the impact it had on the team’s form but things are slowly turning around and they look like the strongest of the sides outside the top three. If the last meeting between the two sides can be considered anything like an audition then McInnes did not hurt his chances, earning an impressive 1-0 win at Rugby Park. Far from being a despised figure among the Rangers fans, McInnes has history on his side, having played and won the Premiership and Scottish Cup for the side in the late nineties. His teams have never won plaudits for their style, but their grit and ability to grind out results is everything Rangers are currently missing. Kevin Muscat Another former Rangers player who has experienced success as a manager, this is not the first time Muscat has been linked with the position. Prior to Clement’s hiring, the Australian had announced his interest and was reportedly interviewed but passed over for the role. His managerial career bears some resemblance to that of Ange Postecoglou, having both managed Melbourne Victory before Muscat replaced the now Tottenham boss at Yokohama F.Marinos. With an A-League, J-League and now a second consecutive Chinese Super League title under his belt, Muscat is not short of accolades on his CV. The biggest doubts however, will be whether the Rangers board believe he will be able to replicate the impact Postecoglou had in the East End despite a lack of experience in Europe. Frank Lampard Gerrard’s former midfield partner has by far the most impressive clubs on his CV but has arguably had the least success. Following a strong first season in the dugout guiding Derby County to a Championship play-off final, Lampard was handed the reins at former club Chelsea. Giving academy players opportunities and being hampered by a transfer ban all whilst finishing a respectable fourth seemed to indicate the appointment had not come too soon in his career. His stock would only decline from there however, as the side went backwards despite a flurry of big signings and he was sacked in January. Keeping Everton up on the final day would be a blip before being sacked the following season after one win in eleven games before achieving the very same record in his return as Chelsea caretaker. Lampard’s name has been attached to almost every vacancy since but he remains an outside bet. Henrik Rydstrom Perhaps the least well known of all the list, Rydstrom has yet to take his footballing career beyond Sweden. The manager has won the league in both seasons since taking over at Malmo in 2022, including pipping Jimmy Thelin’s IF Elfsborg to the title by just two goals. Rydstrom has been earning plaudits for success on the pitch but also for the style that got them there. Playing what writer and coach Jamie Hamilton coined ‘Relationism’, the manager looks to allow players to be as expressive on the ball as possible. Perhaps the biggest blotch on his record however, is his performance against Rangers in the Europa League this season. Malmo were not only defeated 2-0 at home but looked far off the pace. However, if Rydstrom is allowed to work with a higher calibre of player, Rangers could have a manger with both the style and the substance to turn things around.