Rangers reaction: Sydney trip provokes angry protests while Van Bronckhorst justifies big call that upset fans

PERTH, SCOTLAND - MARCH 02: Rangers fans show a banner against the friendly in Australia during a Cinch Premiership match between St Johnstone and Rangers at McDiarmid Park, on March 02, in Perth, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

Railing against Sydney friendly

The conditions in Perth (that’s the Scottish version) on Wednesday night were about as far removed from an Australian summer as you could imagine.

But as they wrapped themselves up against the chill at McDiarmid Park, the travelling Rangers fans made it abundantly clear they have no desire to follow their team down under later this year for their participation in the Sydney Super Cup.

PERTH, SCOTLAND - MARCH 02: Glen Kamara scores to make it 1-0 during a Cinch Premiership match between St Johnstone and Rangers at McDermid Park, on March 02, in Perth, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

The prospect of an Old Firm friendly against Celtic, especially amid their perception of the Ibrox club being a sideshow to Ange Postecoglou’s ‘homecoming’ at the helm of their ancient rivals, has provoked an angry reaction which the Rangers board of directors may have underestimated.

The reputed £3 million fee the Scottish champions will receive makes undeniable commercial sense but selling the idea to their punters is another matter altogether.

Back on track on the road

Those Rangers fans who follow home and away had not witnessed a league victory on opposition soil since the 2-0 success at Hearts on December 12. Since the winter break, points had been shipped in draws at Aberdeen, Ross County and Dundee United along with the 3-0 defeat at Celtic Park.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst simply couldn’t afford that run to continue against relegation-threatened St Johnstone and Glen Kamara’s third minute goal proved enough for a win which was pretty much non-negotiable in keeping their title defence on course.

It wasn’t pretty and was never likely to be on an unreliable playing surface. Rangers were worth in on the balance of play and chances created, although they again missed good opportunities to make the game safe.

Doing it his way

Van Bronckhorst stated on the eve of the match that he did not need ‘advice or influence’ from anyone else amid intensifying scrutiny of his work after a six-point lead in the title race became a three-point deficit since the winter break.

His resolve to stick to his guns was illustrated here as he ignored the clamour from the increasingly anxious Rangers fans to introduce some substitutes as the second half progressed. Despite the slender nature of his team’s lead and the nervy nature of the contest, van Bronckhorst let the starting eleven remain intact for the full 92 minutes which were played.

He insisted he saw no reason to make a change and the end justified his means on this occasion.

Player ratings

St Johnstone (3-5-2): Parish 7, Brown 7, Gordon 7, McCart 7; Sang 6, Butterfield 6, Hallberg 6 (O’Halloran 84), Crawford 7 (MacPherson 78), Gallacher 6; Ciftci 5 (May 76), Hendry 8 (Bair 84). Subs not used: Sinclair, Cleary, Gilmour, Mahon, Craig.

Rangers (4-2-3-1): McGregor 6, Tavernier 7, Goldson 7, Balogun 7, Bassey 7; Lundstram 6, Kamara 8; Arfield 7, Aribo 6, Kent 6; Morelos 6. Subs not used: McLaughlin, Sands, Zukowski, Wright, Roofe, Sakala, Barisic, King, Lowry.

Referee: Willie Collum

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