Rangers 1 - 1 Aberdeen: More taxing times for Rangers as Aberdeen dent title hopes

MUCH blether three months ago was devoted to there being only one way Celtic would be able to make a fist of this championship.

That was if Rangers’ difficulties with the tax authorities resulted in a £50 million bill that left them bankrupt and facing, at least, a 15-point penalty deduction.

In the intervening period, the Ibrox side have imposed a 15-point penalty of their very own on their championship ambitions to find themselves now trailing Celtic by four points.

All this even before the tribunal into their tax affairs – which ends this week – delivers its potentially catastrophic verdict.

Eight of these dropped points, in the form of four draws, have been lost at home. The latest variation on theme showed there is all too scant variation in the play of Ally McCoist’s men when it comes to winning matches.

Character and imagination and match-winners other than Nikica Jelavic are little in evidence when watching Rangers at the moment. Aberdeen displayed some of these qualities. And they might even had made Rangers pay a heavier price after they took the led in 63 minutes when Kari Arnason artfully steered a low drive past Allan McGregor from the left-hand edge of the area, following a terrific 30-yard run through the middle by Chris Clark. “I saw it on the telly and thought I’d give it shot,” said the Icelander, who also had a first-half header shave the bar. “We were set up to break up the middle and run them on the counter.”

Three minutes after his goal, Arnason also played an unwitting part in Rangers’ equaliser when, in attempting to close down Maurice Edu as the American prepared to shoot, the midfielder got his thigh in the way to send Edu’s shot looping up and in to at the top corner of the net. “It was jammy, to be honest,” Arnason said. “Without my deflection, I’m not so sure it wasn’t going straight [towards the goalkeeper].

McCoist declared himself “frustrated” because thereafter Rangers pressurised their visitors’ goal. “We created three or four really good chances and certainly did more than enough to win,” he said.

All manner of shots and headers from Rangers peppered either side of the frame but crucially few required Jason Brown to respond, until, in the 93rd minute, the keeper contorted his body to ensure he clawed away a thumping effort from Sone Aluko. Otherwise, Rangers’ tactic was simply chipping balls in to the box in the hope of something breaking for them.

McCoist was heartened to hear afterwards that new signing Mervan Celik had confidently asserted he would be the man to bring goals to the Ibrox side. “We are a little bit short on goals,” said the Rangers manager. And short on the means to manufacture them.

In any other recent season, the Aberdeen team that took the field at Ibrox would have been lambs to the slaughter. In attempting to end a 20-year, 38-game sequence without a win for the Pittodrie side at Ibrox that covers ten different managers, Craig Brown found himself fielding four under-21s with a further three on the bench. He was without Rob Milsom, who he later revealed had undergone a knee operation expected to keep him out for the rest of the season, Peter Pawlett, Isaac Osbourne, Youl Mawene and Andrew Considine. And yet Brown was still not delighted in the draw. “I’m a bit disappointed that once we took the lead we didn’t go on to win it,” said the Aberdeen manager, whose side have now lost only one of their past nine games.

Brown would not be drawn on a fortunate escape for Carlos Bocanegra in the closing minutes, the centre-back only booked by Iain Brines after hauling back Josh Magennis, who seemed to have burst through and be accelerating away from Dorin Goian and Sasa Papac. “I was very surprised it wasn’t a red card,” said Arnason. “With Josh’s pace he would have absolutely burned them but you don’t get anything here.”

The most jaunty the Ibrox followers were able to get all afternoon was when David Weir appeared on the pitch at half-time to say his farewells after an extraordinary five years in which he earned eight medals, played more than 200 games and set a new record in becoming the club’s oldest outfield player. He may be sad to go, but he may also be getting out at the right time