Jack Butland awful, Cyriel Dessers stars – Rangers player ratings v Motherwell
Barry Ferguson will be deeply disappointed with his first game at Ibrox as Rangers lost 2-1 to Motherwell on Saturday.
The Gers staged a dramatic comeback against Kilmarnock in Ferguson’s first match in charge, winning 4-2 after going two goals behind, but his players could not manage the same result again.
Jack Butland‘s blunder in between the sticks saw Luke Armstrong open the scoring after just nine minutes on 1 March, with Tom Sparrow doubling the visitor’s lead at Ibrox.
Cyriel Dessers grabbed one goal back, latching onto a mistake by the Steelmen, and cruelly had another ruled out for offside, condemning the Gers to defeat in front of their own fans, a Rangers result which Ally McCoist slammed on social media.
The Light Blues could now end up 16 points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, that is if they can beat St Mirren.
Rangers unable to recover after Jack Butland blunder
Jack Butland – 2
His early mistake sent supporters into a frenzy, with many getting fed up and wanting a new goalkeeper in the summer. Butland’s form continues to drop, only causing more frustration.
Ridvan Yilmaz (Off for Dujon Sterling 84′) – 6
Was a bright part at both ends of the pitch, winning most of his duels while also threatening Ellery Balcombe’s goal, having played much more attacking football in recent weeks.
James Tavernier – 4
A frustrating display from the captain on his 500th appearance for the Light Blues, ballooning a key chance over the Motherwell crossbar.
James Tavernier makes unhappy 500th Rangers appearance
Robin Propper (Off for Leon Balogun 46′) – 3
Deservedly dragged off at half-time, having also struggled against Kilmarnock last time out alongside Clinton Nsiala. Not much better against the Steelmen.
Jefte – 5
Continued to create chances but might have been lucky to stay on the pitch, going toe-to-toe with an opponent as emotions flew at Ibrox.
Nico Raskin – 5
Lost far too many duels in the middle of the park, struggling to deal with Motherwell’s midfield. Usually so calm and composed but couldn’t quite find his feet on this occasion.
| Scottish Premiership standings | Points |
| 1. Celtic | 72 |
| 2. Rangers | 59 |
Cyriel Dessers and Mohamed Diomade only bright sparks for Rangers
Mohamed Diomande (Off for Danilo 73′) – 7
Never gave up when attempting to net an equaliser at Ibrox, being denied from long-range twice and also never pulling out of hard-hitting challenges. Led by example.
Ianis Hagi (Off for Nedim Bajrami 46′) – 4
One of the Romanian’s poorest performances since returning to the Rangers squad, though players are always going to have bad days at work. Rightly taken off at half-time.
Vaclav Cerny – 6
Remained a constant threat throughout the clash, though all of his efforts at goal were wayward and caused no problems for the Motherwell goalkeeper.
Hamza Igamane (Off for Tom Lawrence 46′) – 6
Was being kept rather quiet by the opposition’s defence and could just not get into the game properly. A poor day at the office for the goal-hungry striker.
Cyriel Dessers – 8
Really tried to get the Light Blues back in the game, having scored to halve the deficit before a second was controversially disallowed for offside. Made up for his early mistake for the Steelmen’s opening goal.
Substitutes
Leon Balogun (On for Propper 46′) – 7
Helped stabilise things at the back, keeping his composure far more than Propper has done in recent matches.
Nedin Bajrami (On for Hagi 46′) – 6
Had a relatively good impact in the second half but could not find the final ball in the final third.
Tom Lawrence (On for Igamane 46′) – 4
Failed to bring a much-needed boost to the team. Not the most inspirational of substitutions.
Danilo (On for Diomande 73′) – N/A
Dujon Sterling (On for Yilmaz 84′) – N/A