Rangers 2
Dundee 1
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

Archie Knox did not get the dream start he would have liked in his first game as Dundee's new manager, against Rangers at rain-drenched Ibrox on Saturday. There were grounds for belief that the dream of a first away win over Rangers

in the Premier League might be fulfilled when an Andy Geddes goal after only eight minutes saw Dundee take the lead.

But, in the end, it was the stark reality of having to compete a man short for most of the second half after Bobby Glennie had been ordered off, that made the task impossible.

Dundee had gone ahead, I thought, deservedly if fortunately, when Andy Geddes got his head to an Iain Ferguson cross.

There was no power behind the header but to the consternation of the Rangers fans-and of Jock Wallace and Peter McCloy-the ball somehow finished up in the net.

At that stage big Jock must have been thanking his lucky stars that, earlier in the day, he had signed Nicky Walker for a third time as his future number one keeper at Ibrox. Dundee were winning most of the 50-50 challenges and their use of the ball was good.

Then, suddenly, Sandy Clark missed a sitter and Bobby Russell got the equaliser for Rangers in a goalmouth scramble after a typical piece of Dave Cooper magic.

It was still all square at half-time and anybody's game, although Rangers had made the better chances without putting any of them away.

But we were only nine, minutes into the second half when tragedy hit Dundee with the ordering-off of Bobby Glennie, after a tackle on Sandy Clark on the right touchline.

Frankly, I believe the tackle hardly warranted a booking, far less an ordering off, but as Glennie had already been cautioned for kicking the ball away when a foul was awarded against his team within seconds of the start of the game, the second caution meant he had to go.

Glennie's claim afterwards that he had not heard the whistle for a foul before the original incident cut no ice with the referee, who cautioned him for time-wasting.

This was a ridiculous decision when you consider the number of times players caught up in a game do not hear the whistle.

It has happened to me and, in fact, led to the only occasion in my career that I was ordered off. It still rankles, even after all these years.

What particularly bugs me about all those bookings for so called time-wasting is that it takes referees longer to have a word with and caution a player than for the incident which led to it!

Anyway, the ordering off in the strength-sapping conditions definitely favoured Rangers.

Yet it was eight minutes from the end before their numerical superiority paid off with the winning goal.

Former Clydebank player Bobby Williamson scored after an Ally Dawson shot came back to him off the post, to give Jock Wallace his fourth win in a row since his return to Ibrox.

He was delighted with Rangers latest win, as well he might be.

Davie Cooper was again Rangers inspiration, just as he always seems to be against the Dundee teams.

Archie Knox was disappointed not to take any points from his first game in charge. But that was all.

"I was," he said, "really pleased at the way the players battled and the commitment they showed. Obviously the ordering off played a big part in the final result.

"But if we can produce the same commitment in all our games as we did today I will be quite happy.

"The players have shown they can do it once so thay have no excuses for not doing it all the time."

I admit to being quite impressed by Dundee on Saturday,compared to their performance against Hibs the previous week.

They worked really hard against Rangers and none more so than Iain Ferguson, Lex Richardson and central defen ers Jimmy Smith and Iain MacDonald.

A word of praise, too, for keeper Bobby Geddes-his handling of the ball in the greasy conditions wqs immaculate.

Match report written by The Courier