Russell Martin's 1989 Rangers black mark, signing who was different player and 'small club' bites

As the matchday programme reminded readers, Rangers have played some momentous and notable matches on 9 August, including Graeme Souness’s short-lived debut against Hibs in 1986 and Davie Cooper’s testimonial against Bordeaux in 1988. This was another historic occasion to add to the list, though not in the way Rangers will have wished.

This last-gasp draw against Dundee, who had led from the 52nd to the 92nd minute, means that for the first time since 1989, when Souness was still in charge, Rangers have failed to win either of their opening two league games.

It is not the black mark Russell Martin wants against his name already although his side, who played with ten men for much of the second half, deserve some praise for their resilience in earning a point thanks to substitute James Tavernier’s penalty in time added on.

Russell Martin and his Rangers assistant Matt Gill look on during the 1-1 draw with Dundee. | SNS Group

The outlook at Ibrox might have seemed a lot brighter had what would have been a late, late winner from Cyriel Dessers – who struck a decisive goal against Dundee in the final seconds the last time the teams met in March – not been chalked off for offside. On such moments can a manager’s reign turn, although Martin’s honeymoon period had already proved notably short.

The intensity with which the home fans in the 48,958 crowd voiced their displeasure when Martin made a double substitution ten minutes after half-time, and three minutes after Dundee had taken the lead through Ryan Astley’s looping header, was nothing short of remarkable.

The anger was rooted in the sight of Kieran Dowell, who has struggled to win over the fans since arriving in 2023, coming on to replace Mohamed Diomande, although former Dundee midfielder Lyall Cameron's withdrawal at the same time also did not go down well.

Rangers reduced to ten men

Nico Raskin replaced Cameron but such changes seemed moot when Rangers were reduced to ten men just before the hour mark after Nasser Djiga clipped Fin Robertson to deny Dundee's No. 10 a goalscoring chance. It suddenly looked dire for Rangers. Martin’s response was to send on Tavernier, who for the second match running was named on the bench, for the struggling Max Aarons. Danilo was also introduced for Joe Rothwell, although little appeared to change to any great degree.

Never mind Rangers, 9 August so nearly went down as a significant date in Dundee’s history. Not since 2001 and the days of Claudio Caniggia have the Dens Park side won at Ibrox. They won’t get many better chances to emulate that midweek night when Caniggia and Steven Milne scored in a 2-0 win.

Nevertheless, while the result raises fresh questions about Martin, it helped bring his opposite number some much needed relief - it’s still the first time Dundee have taken a point from Ibrox since that glory night near the start of the millennium. Steven Pressley, although frustrated at coming so close to three points, was within his rights to be extremely satisfied. It was the first real sign of the defensive organisation he was supposed to implement after being surprisingly hired to replace Tony Docherty, who was at Ibrox working as a pundit.

Dundee came so close to a famous victory over Rangers at Ibrox. | SNS Group

The visitors also carried menace at set-pieces. They hit the woodwork twice in the opening half through defender Clark Robertson and although the latter effort was offside, it underlined that Rangers were not having it all their own way. The Dundee skipper had been unfortunate earlier when seeing his header rebound off Jack Butland’s far post before dropping into the grateful ‘keeper’s hands.

So much for Dundee being lambs to the slaughter. While last Sunday’s league opener against Hibs had been pitifully short of positives, there was much to admire about Pressley’s team here.

Rangers’ Ibrox frailties, meanwhile, look to have returned to haunt them. Cameron made his first league start for the club he joined from Dundee. Some comments from the midfielder prior to Tuesday’s Champions League qualifying win over Viktoria Plzen, including describing Dundee as a “small club” compared with Rangers, raised hackles as well as eyebrows among his former team’s support.

An eye-catching cover choice for Rangers programme

He inevitably featured in the front of the matchday programme but struggled to impose himself the way he did against Plzen. Oliver Antman, who enjoyed such a productive debut in midweek, was even less conspicuous. Indeed, worryingly, he looked like a different player.

Rangers barely tested the Jon McCracken in the Dundee goal in the opening half. They hardly created half-chances. Djeidi Gassama passed to Dessers when he should have shot. A Rothwell free kick was clipped over by the Dundee wall. Jefte later drove low past the far upright. The second half might have been worse, although Rangers were disadvantaged by being a man down for the most part. McCracken made his first save of any consequence after 50 minutes, when diving to gather a shot from Diomande.

The visitors edged ahead two minutes later with a well worked free-kick. Callum Jones clipped the set-piece beyond the far post and Clark Robertson headed back into the danger area for Astley to send his header over Butland into the far corner of the net. The small band of Dundee fans erupted and they were given more reason to dare to hope seven minutes later when Djiga was shown a red card by referee Don Robertson, who had little alternative.

Rangers, with Raskin providing a bit of dig in midfield, huffed and puffed and they needed a free hit at goal from 12 yards out two minutes into injury time to avoid the extra ignominy of failing to score at home against Dundee for the first time since 2001. Tavernier’s successful conversion, after Drey Wright was adjudged to have clipped Gassama, provided cold comfort. Rangers had been slow and ponderous, the way it has been too often in recent times at Ibrox under a succession of managers.