No Rangers magic stick but Philippe Clement turns Hibs into frogs as visit marred by horrific fan messages

Maybe Philippe Clement will have cause to rethink his comment this week that he was no Harry Potter with his “magic stick”.

Sorcery seemed no less than at work in his first outing as Rangers manager as Hibs were turned into frogs in a 4-0 trouncing. Not just with the intent and productiveness of his strikers - heck, even Cyriel Dessers, eventually, scored - not just in how Ibrox could be transformed from the bearpit of late into an arena of glee, delight and appreciation, but in how all this was made possible by the most supine of opponents.

Even if Clement had hypnotised Nick Montgomery, it is doubtful he would have instructed the Easter Road manager to pursue as open, reckless, beyond-their-capabilities-to-execute attacked-minded strategy as his counterpart chose to pursue of his own volition. An approach that left Hibs, often appearing in a 4-2-4 configuration, looking like a team completely under a spell to make Clement’s introduction to Scottish football as comfortable as imaginable.

None of which is to suggest that the Ibrox men under new impetus did not seem possessed of a fresh imperative. It proved turnover central early on with both teams struggling to build any meaningful passages of play. But it wasn’t simply Hibs seeking to move the ball at a pace that caused them to constantly lose it. The passivity that stalked the Ibrox men under Michael Beale this season was notably replaced by more pro-active closing down and tackling. Precisely what Clement had said he would demand from his players to bring the support back on-side.

The catalyst for a cakewalk, though, was one man who hadn’t been dragged down by the rut into which Rangers had sunk this season. Abdallah Sima boasted five goals in the six games prior to Clement pitching up. The naked pace of the on-loan Brighton attacker hasn’t always been married to marksmanship, but his breezing past Paul Hanlon in the 17th minute - as a double-decker bus looked as if it could career through the visitors’ backline - presaged him finishing with glorious finesse, courtesy of a low drive steered into the corner with slide-rule precision.

Come the 65th minute, the Senegalese attacker was able to punish a Hibs who were by then shambolic for his side’s third to supply him a seventh goal in seven games and a ninth of the season. It was a strike that would have also been welcomed by Dessers, Sima ramming in after the ball broke to him an instant after the striker’s travails in front of goal seemed set to continue when he was sent through on David Marshall. The Nigerian contrived not to put the ball away despite rounding the keeper and having two shooting attempts before his team-mate pounced.

Yet, on a day when everything clicked for Rangers, even Dessers - who could never be accused of giving other than his all - was to have his moment as the 79th minute rolled around to elicit wild acclaim from a support that seemed joyous at being able to do more than groan and growl over his efforts in front of goal. It must be said that a second’s hesitation when he found himself in the middle of goal had you fearing another opportunity was going to elude him, only for the Nigeria international to be able to carefully poke the ball into the corner of the net.

The fourth goal in an encounter that could have produced plenty more for Clement’s men - Lammers thumping the post early in the second period - whatever the jig was that Montgomery sought from his team, it was up on the stroke of half-time. Another incident when Hibs were found wanting in so many respects, the Leith club’s manager questioned why VAR didn’t spot a foul on Joe Newell when he lost possession under a challenge with Lammers. Replays showed no infringement. But they did expose that when the ball was then played to Nicolas Raskin for him to steer a far-from-ferocious 25-yard drive into the right-hand corner of Marshall’s goal, the keeper woefully slow to get across to block.

A sorry afternoon for Hibs, that was merely compounded by the emergence of stickers and graffiti in the away end that gloried in the Ibrox disaster of January 2, 1971 when 66 fans lost their lives in a crush in stairwell 13. Grotesquely, this was referenced with the messages placed by Hibs supporters in their section that declared “Starwell Thirteen – it’s the greatest sight that I have ever seen.” It shouldn’t need saying, of course, but it demanded that Rangers release a statement in which they stated “the mocking and celebration of such an event is outrageous, and has no place in any football stadium or society as a whole”.

Hibs, for their part, called out the actions as “intolerable” as they stated they would seek the strongest possible sanction for those found to have been behind these despicable acts. “Hibernian FC is aware of the intolerable graffiti and stickers found in the away end at Ibrox today and condemns the behaviour of the individuals that were involved,” the Easter Road side’s statement read. “The club will work with Rangers to identify those responsible and will take the most serious action possible against anyone involved. If any Hibernian FC supporter has any information that could assist the Club to help identify these individuals, they should contact [email protected] and the information provided will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.”

A horrific coda to a truly horrible day for those of a Hibs disposition.