THE journey may have been completed but Rangers are still encountering bumps on the road to recovery. When they hit the road, they don’t hit the heights required.
Mark Warburton’s side have made ten trips in the Premiership this season but have returned to Ibrox with maximum points on just four occasions. If the gap to Celtic is to be closed and the challenges of Aberdeen and Hearts seen off, that form must change for the better.
On Saturday, Warburton will take his team to a venue where they have already won this term and does so in search of a much-needed top flight triumph. Rangers were 2-0 winners at Fir Park in the Betfred Cup back in July and captain Lee Wallace knows another victory is imperative to get the Gers off on the right footing in the New Year.
“We said going into the St Johnstone game we wanted to take our home form and performances on the road,” he said. “While we have had a couple of good performances – with probably the Inverness performance being the best and it was an important victory that night too. We want to try and replicate our form whether it is home or away, grass or plastic pitch, during the day or at night.
“Whatever the weather, we want to try and get a continuity in our performances, and a consistency we probably haven’t quite found yet, and we have 17 league games to put that right and have a better second half to the season than we did the first. If we do that, we will be in a good place.”
Rangers will head to Lanarkshire aiming for a second consecutive win over the Steelmen following Saturday’s Scottish Cup success at Ibrox. Despite Louis Moult giving Mark McGhee’s side the lead, a late double from Kenny Miller clinched a dramatic victory for the Gers.
The outcome left a distraught McGhee ‘speechless’ and Wallace hopes an improved performance will result in a more comfortable outcome for the Light Blues this time out.
“We have had a look at it, and as we say after a good, bad or indifferent result, we will try to learn from it,” he said. “I think Motherwell’s intentions were clear coming into the game – though that might change this week what with the game being on their home pitch – it’s tighter and they have their home support behind them.
“They may be a bit more adventurous, but at the weekend, that was how they set up and you can say it worked to a degree as they were limiting us to very few chances, and we definitely do need to be a bit more penetrative and perhaps pass the ball forward and be a bit more inventive.
“That has been the general consensus after watching the analysis. Knowing what to expect at the weekend, we will work hard for what will be a tough away fixture.”
Warburton had one of his old guard to thank as Miller came to the rescue on Saturday but the Ibrox crowd were also given a glimpse of the two latest Light Blues recruits. Jon Toral was handed a start after completing his loan move from Arsenal, while Emerson Hyndman came off the bench to play a decisive part in the victory.
The capture of Toral and Hyndman has added strength and depth to Warburton’s midfield and Wallace believes both could make an impact at Ibrox this term.
“It’s really pleasing to see their contribution,” he told rangers.co.uk. “I think in the small glimpses we had against Leipzig everyone could see what Jon was going to bring with a couple of his early touches in the middle of the park, and that told us what type of player he is going to be. He is working hard, is learning and asks good questions during the training sessions.
“Emerson came on at the weekend and brought a dynamism in that position and has had the great experience of working under Eddie Howe down at Bournemouth and the way they like to play.
“It has been a good transition from him and even just the details on his pass through to Kenny for the winner – the weight on the pass was superb, and that type of pass can be overlooked. It can be over-hit, and obviously Kenny is electric off the mark, but Emerson’s ball was first-class and again he trained really well on Monday.
“These guys are going to give us that lift and help in the second half of the season.”
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