Aberdeen 1 - 0 Rangers: Young comes in from the cold to give McGhee first win over Rangers

Published on Sunday 29 November 2009 21:48

LIKE any manager, Mark McGhee cannot rely on sound judgment alone if he is to be successful.

Since his return to Scottish football two and a half years ago, he has proved he generally has a critical eye for a player which serves him well. On Saturday, however, his first managerial win over Rangers was achieved in no small part by the contribution of a player he had initially decided was surplus to requirements when he took the helm at Aberdeen in the summer.

Before the weekend, Derek Young's only starting appearance this season had been in McGhee's first game in charge, the humiliating 5-1 Europa League home defeat to Sigma Olomouc at the end of July. Despite having to play out of position at full-back in the match, Young became something of a scapegoat and a permanent fixture on the substitutes' bench.

But on a day when circumstances forced McGhee into a radical reshuffling of his side, Young came in from the cold to replace the suspended Gary McDonald in central midfield. The former Dunfermline player was duly one of Aberdeen's stand-out performers in handing Rangers their first SPL defeat since March.

"It was great to be back in the starting line-up, but it has been too long in coming," said Young. "The manager knows that, because I have told him. After being on the bench for so long, I went in to speak to him. He told me that I'd maybe been at the club for too long, which I couldn't believe when you consider I was away from Aberdeen for four years before my second spell.

"I wasn't going to let him get away with saying that and I told him so. That was how he felt at the time, but maybe I have changed his mind. I think he maybe decided too early that I wasn't going to be part of his plans. He asked me to play out of position at full-back in my first game and I wasn't great. Looking back, maybe it wasn't the best idea. But everyone knows I will play anywhere I am asked.

"It has been frustrating and there have been days when I have called the manager every name under the sun. He knows that. I don't know if I have anything to prove, because I know what I can do and the boys know what I can do. I have stuck at it, I've not let my head go down and I've worked hard in training. I got my chance against Rangers and although it was because people were injured and suspended, I hope I did enough to prove to the manager that I'm worth a run of games."

McGhee, who conceded afterwards he had perhaps been harsh in his treatment of Young, was understandably gratified by the response of his players on an afternoon when they had to overcome several setbacks. When Jerel Ifil pulled up injured during the pre-match warm-up, McGhee had to deploy full-backs Charlie Mulgrew and Richard Foster as an unlikely central defensive pairing. They performed admirably, although the minimal threat posed by Rangers for much of the afternoon ensured they did not require to be a reincarnation of Willie Miller and Alex McLeish.

The SPL champions, remarkably suffering their first away defeat in any competition since losing to Hearts at Tynecastle a full 12 months earlier, lacked verve and imagination throughout as they completed an unhappy week by being knocked off the top of table by Celtic.

Aberdeen seized upon Rangers' leaden start to the match and deserved the 17th minute goal which proved enough to claim all three points. Michael Paton beat Steven Whittaker with considerable ease on the left and crossed for Lee Miller to divert the ball beyond Allan McGregor with the outside of his right boot from close range.

Rangers only rarely managed to place Aberdeen goalkeeper Jamie Langfield under significant pressure. Even the contentious 60th minute dismissal of Aberdeen captain Mark Kerr, for a second bookable offence on Steven Naismith, did not appreciably alter the pattern of a match in which the home side generally defended with a degree of comfort.

Rangers captain David Weir delivered a frank and damning assessment of his own team, saying:

"I don't think our confidence was affected by the European result," said Weir, "because you have to be realistic and say it will always be difficult for us operating at that level.

"But the SPL is where you judge yourself and this defeat was a bigger indictment on us than the Stuttgart one.

"We have to start making the right decisions, right across the board. We have to examine everything and get back to basics. We have to change things."

MAN OF THE MATCH

Charlie Mulgrew (Aberdeen)

Aberdeen had several contenders for individual recognition, notably midfielders Peter Pawlett and Derek Young, but Mulgrew stood out with a towering performance in an unfamiliar central defensive role.