I watched Rangers' title hopes falter vs Motherwell and recognised Ibrox grim reaper and Rohl's repeated error

Motherwell took an early lead through Lukas Fadinger (16), and doubled their advantage when Emmanuel Longelo blasted home shortly afterwards (25). Rangers roared back in the second period, with Youssef Chermiti (51) reducing the deficit, before a deflected Nico Raskin effort (70) levelled the scores.

However, it was Jen Berthel Askou’s side who had the last laugh, with Longelo’s right-footed drive taking a wicked deflection to win the game for the Fir Park outfit in the dying stages.

Graham Falk was at Ibrox to cover proceedings on Sunday. These are his three key takeaways from Rangers vs Motherwell...

No fitting tribute

The clash with Motherwell this weekend was chosen to mark the club’s annual ‘Retro Shirt Day’, which sees Rangers fans wearing their favourite shirt from years gone by in memory of the club’s much-loved kitman, Jimmy Bell. A number of classic kits were on display, many of them adorned with heroes from their past. Ronald De Boer and Paul Gascoigne jerseys were spotted just in front of us in the main stand, while cult hero Marvin Andrews was also celebrated with a tifo in the Copland Road end of the stadium, complete with the words ‘Keep Believing’.

The start of a crucial five-game split, Rangers’ vociferous home support were desperate to place similar platitudes on their current crop of players in tribute to those who had come before them, but were served up a Jekyll and Hyde performance for the second game in succession. Loud and raucous it may have been but the whiff of nerves sifted through the air pre-game in Govan. A fanbase a little too accustomed to disappointment in recent seasons had seen Motherwell conquer at Ibrox before, and they duly did once more with a late strike.

While it would be right to wonder where Rangers would be under Rohl had they not started so slowly under former incumbent Russell Martin, they still seem to lack the conviction to truly take the bull by the horns. Too often, they’ve fallen short when they’ve had a chance to push on, and it’s looking increasingly likely that the title will fall just out of their grasp.

Ibrox grim reaper strikes again

Prior to the 2-1 win that started the downfall of Philippe Clement and Rangers’ title hopes in the final third of the 2023/24 campaign, Motherwell had been without a win at Ibrox for nine years - but they now have three wins from their last five visits. Something of a grim reaper at Govan in recent years, their victory two years ago was an impressive once, as they pushed against the tide of Clement’s in-form outfit to take all three points.

Last season’s victory was perhaps less surprising, coming up against a team that were struggling for results at home and under interim management in the shape of Barry Ferguson. However, this win was their most impressive of the lot. This was Jens Berthel Askou’s side at their very best, displaying evidence of why they have received so many plaudits this season. Despite being five games without a win ahead of kick-off, the visitors were comfortably the better side from the off, passing it around a pedestrian Rangers at will in the opening 45 minutes, leaving them chasing shadows and aimlessly punting it up the field. While they improved in the second half, Motherwell remained dangerous.

They’ve been a major problem for Rangers all season long. Thoroughly deserving of a point on the opening day, they were unlucky not to leave with a draw when they lost a tight game 1-0 back here in December, while a late leveller from Stephen Welsh denied Rangers a win on a rain-soaked night at Fir Park two months ago. They finally got their three points over Rangers today though. They deserved the result over the 90 minutes.

Rohl’s repeated error

Rangers' nod to their heroes of yesteryear was not the only thing to have a retro feel at Ibrox, with head coach Danny Rohl throwing it back to the 4-4-2 (or 4-2-2-2 if you prefer) formation that many managers have consigned to the past. Largely opting for a 4-2-3-1 formation in the opening months of his tenure, he found success pairing Ryan Naderi with Chermiti before the German was injured.

Several of the Rangers’ most impressive performances have come with two big physical forwards leading the line this calendar year. The 4-2 win over Hearts, the 3-1 victory over Celtic and the win at Falkirk two weeks ago are some of the most eye-catching of the season. But it simply never looked like working against Motherwell, with their pumped balls forward repeatedly picked up and recycled into an attack for the opposition.

Going 2-0 down against Falkirk a fortnight ago, the Rangers boss was forced into changes at the break, which resulted in his side being sparked into life via Bojan Miovski, with the North Macedonian bagging a brace to help his side win the game 6-3. For the second match in a row, though, Rohl got his starting line-up wrong. Thelo Aasgaard’s move to the wide right stunted his impact, with the Norwegian drifting inside too often and making the midfield too narrow. Djeidi Gassama often had to run from deeper and found his path forward nullified by a disciplined right-hand side. The long ball became the Rangers’ go-to plan of attack, and it was too easily handled by Motherwell.

Pitching a midfield four against Motherwell was naive from Rohl, and his team paid for it before the break. Forced into a triple change at half-time, Rangers instantly improved and were able to drag themselves back into a game they looked completely out of, only to be undone by a wicked late deflection. With four games remaining, and the 12 maximum points likely needed if they are to end their trophy drought, Rohl must begin to get it right before kick-off - not at half-time.

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