Rangers 3 Dundee Utd 1
CRAIG: LEV IT OUT, REF
Scorers: RANGERS: Novo (2), Darcheville DUNDEE UNITED: De Vries
By Kenny MacDonald
RANGERS kept the pressure on at the top of the SPL — but yet again it was a referee who stole the headlines for the wrong reasons!
Celtic have had the benefit of controversial officiating in the past few weeks — yesterday it was Rangers’ turn to take advantage of what looked like howlers by whistler Mike McCurry and his bungling assistants.
Whether or not it would have affected the outcome of the match will never be known.
All the controversy came when Rangers were 2-0 up. But having a stonewall penalty turned down, then a goal which went in off a Rangers player disallowed for offside is apt to bring stewing managers to the boil.
Craig Levein, below, didn’t miss his chance to give vent to his feelings after the game.
Birthday boy Davie Weir was at the heart of both incidents — and to say the 38-year-old got a couple of birthday presents is putting it mildly.
He should’ve conceded a penalty and been sent off. Having escaped both, he then deflected the ball into his own net — only to get off with that one as well!
Controversy No1 came on 54 minutes when Weir’s misplaced pass saw Mark de Vries tee up Noel Hunt.
The Irishman cut across the defender and was clean through on goal when he was dumped on the turf.
Now, the Rangers defender used all his know-how. He didn’t clatter Hunt’s legs. He didn’t tug him. He used his body to barge him over, which never looks as bad.
But a foul is a foul - and a foul is what it was. It should’ve been a penalty. Weir should’ve been off. Dithering McCurry looked at his assistant Stuart Macauley, got no reaction, and waved play on.
Controversy No2 was, if anything, even poorer stuff from the officials. Danny Swanson’s drive hit Weir and spun past Neil Alexander. But the assistant ref flagged for offside against David Robertson and disallowed the goal!
The dramas overshadowed Rangers keeping it hot at the top thanks to three points won largely as a result of a blockbuster start.
And it also allowed United to overlook an opening spell when they were all over the shop.
While Rangers might have been forgiven for having one eye on the UEFA Cup this season, United had UEFA Cup ambitions of their own for next season. You wouldn’t have known it from this lacklustre display.
An incident on the stroke of half-time summed United’s lackadaisical performance up. Barry Ferguson had been off the pitch for treatment and when he was waved back on, he sprinted into the centre-circle to rob Mark Kerr of possession and set up another attack.
Rangers players and fans were a bag of nerves on Wednesday against Motherwell and those were only eased with Ferguson’s late goal.
The last thing they needed was another anxiety-ridden performance so two quickfire goals yesterday from a man with a point to prove were just the pre-Manchester ticket.
I’m not sure Nacho Novo, below, for all his Florence heroics, could have been certain of a start on Wednesday. Maybe he still isn’t.
But he certainly can’t be accused of not having given it everything in the attempt.
Countryman Carlos Cuellar will pick up Scotland’s Player of the Year award in Glasgow tonight, but Novo was the top Spaniard on show yesterday.
After six minutes, he won a clever free kick. Challenging with Kerr, he positioned his body to make sure the United midfielder had to play him in order to get the ball.
Kerr duly obliged and from Kevin Thomson’s free kick, Novo took advantage of awful marking — giants Darren Dods and Lee Wilkie were nowhere to be seen and Novo nodded a simple header past Lukasz Zaluska.
It was the perfect start and things got even better for Rangers after 17 minutes, aided by more sloppy defensive work.
Daniel Cousin beat Wilkie in the air and Novo had drifted beyond United defender Mihael Kovacevic’s path but the striker’s left-foot drive, powerfully struck and dipping over Zaluska’s hand but under the bar, was a terrifically accurate strike.
That should have been that against a United side who’d never got out the blocks. But when Alexander raced from goal and found himself stranded, Weir had to clear David Robertson’s chip off the line, then the keeper made a decent save from De Vries’s drive.
After the break, United grew in stature and got the goal their second-half performance merited when De Vries rose and bulleted a great header beyond Alexander from Danny Grainger’s cross.
That came with 14 minutes to go and ensured a jittery, nerve-jangling final spell which was only eased when Novo chased for a ball that looked like it was going out of play, kept it in with a pass to Ferguson and from his pass, sub Jean-Claude Darcheville, below, slotted in the clincher.
Darcheville had come on for Cousin and there was a considerable body of opinion which suggested the Gabonese striker shouldn’t have been still on to be substituted.
He and Wilkie had a head-to-head and it seemed as though the striker, much as he had in the UEFA Cup semi-final, put his head into his opponent’s face.
Both were yellow-carded — but the game had long since drifted away from Mike McCurry by then.
Rangers boss Walter Smith sidestepped the controversy, stating simply: “We had two penalty claims against Motherwell on Wednesday night and no one asked me about them after that game.”
Smith left Steve Davis, Lee McCulloch and Charlie Adam out of his 18 yesterday but all are fit and available for Wednesday.
RANGERS: Alexander, Broadfoot, Weir, Cuellar, Papac, Whittaker, Dailly, Ferguson, Thomson (Furman 52), Novo, Cousin (Darcheville 85). Subs not used: Smith, Boyd, Beasley, Lennon, McMillan.
DUNDEE UNITED: Zaluska, Kovacevic (O’Brien 90), Dods, Wilkie, Grainger, Flood (Swanson 66), Kerr, Robertson, Gomis (Robb 85), De Vries, Hunt. Subs not used: Camara, Dillon, Daly, Smith.
WHAT A DISGRACE LEVEIN IS ONLY SEES ONE SIDE WHAT ABOUT WILKIE KICKING ANYTHING THAT GOT IN FRONT OF HIM USUALY EITHER NOVO OR COUSIN AS HE DOES EVERY TIME HE PLAYS RANGERS.HE HAD MORE OF COUSINS SHIRT THAN COUSIN DID FOR THE INCIDENT HE CONSTANTLY ELBOWS PULLS AND KICKS ANYONE WHO STANDS NEAR HIM SURE SOME DECISIONS WERE BAD THE OFFSIDE GOAL BUT THESE THINGS HAPPEN FOR EVERY TEAM IN A SEASON IF RANGERS HAD CAME OUT WITH THESE COMMENTS THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED BEST OF LUCK FOR UEFA CUP FINAL ANY TICKETS SPARE
Posted by: EDDIE WATSON | May 11, 2008 at 10:23 AM | Report this comment
An open Letter To Gerry Mcnee
Gerry
For the first time i have just read the New Of The World and indeed your column.
Normally i do not bother with downmarket tabloids but it had been left in stall 3 of the main toilet area in work where i went for my morning constitution minus my normal read, i have just finished laughing and thought i just had to drop you a little note about some points in your column.
First of all i would like to apologies in case i drone on you indicate in the second paragraph you do not like this although after reading what you had to say "pot" and "kettle" spring to mind. Also i ask that you bear with me as i am not like you a "professional" (snigger) but i will try hard for this letter to be smart mouthed.
Gerry you have had a fair old go at Walter Smith, can i ask you what manager would not ask for any advantage going heading into a big game? is it not his job to get results by whatever way he sees fit? you talk about him whinging, then later in the column you attack his tactics and motives.
As for his "negative" tactics against Dundee or anyone else you mention, who was the victor? now i am just a supporter and we like to win so maybe you could contact Walter with some advice on proper management, be sure to tell him the stuff that took you to the top of the management tree, you know the stuff that won you loads of trophies? thanks.
Now motive, he left the scotland job. Big Deal. i can see why someone like yourself doubts its for anything other than money but i think Walter was pretty well off by the time he came back to Rangers and ego? he was very successful first time round. obviously lets not count Europe cause no one in Scotland was achieving anything there. But forget all that you (and now me) know the real reason he is back.
At this point if i can offer an opinion i would like to say that if i was a Rangers manager with the experience Walter has i would withdraw my players from meaningless friendless also.
Now David Murray, First of all as a football "journalist" (snigger) lets stick to football, why bring up Burma? a terrible thing happened there what is it to do with football? to me it seems like a cowardly personal attack but i could be wrong. David is very rich and i don't have any idea how much he pledged if any of his cash but i would say it must have been less than the millions you must have sent, obviously to have a go at other people you only get that right when you made sizeable donations yourself. obviously
Gerry i could go on but i don't want to bore you. I certainly don't want accused of spouting verbal diarrhoea( you seem like an expert)
I have been informed that every week your column is full of this same "top class reporting" (snigger) i am also told you are forever breaking exclusives and "telling it here first" so i am sorry next week is your last week if you had been righting on for the foreseeable future i would have looked forward to missing your bile.
Please allow me to finish this little note with two questions, I would hope you have the balls to answer them but we both no you will not.
If indeed i have been told correctly that you have been doing this "good work" (snigger) for years why did you get fired from the radio clyde football phone in? some say you couldn't hack it but i don't believe that cause you seem really smart (snigger) so you tell me?
Are the popular opinions wrong, have we all made a mistake? Are you a very clever man way before his time, are we mere mortals forever in your debt for pointing out clever stuff us dummies would not have seen. will when the human brain evolves to use its full potential will people look back and call you a visionary, will they say Gerry Mcnee was right all along?
or are you just another old blowhard who makes a living with small minded criticisms and theory's, not in a live debate but from the security of an office, a man who is so bitter and jealous he has now forgotten why he started supporting Celtic in the first place (thats right its obvious) someone who everyone i have asked this morning said the same thing, Gerry Mcnee he's an ......... al not say.
I have formed my oppinion.
Enjoy your retirment Ger, and the uefa cup final. all the best for the future.
Ps. if you reply i would be willing to tell you what everyone thinks of you.
Best Regards
Andrew Dick (average fan)
Posted by: Andy Dick | May 11, 2008 at 11:38 AM | Report this comment
Mike McCurry is an absolute disgrace. If his name was Father Michael McCurry and gave decisions like that to Celtic he would be banned from football for life. Shocking display but sadly not suprising.
Posted by: Scott Duffy | May 11, 2008 at 11:47 PM | Report this comment
Scott Duffy, are you one of the MOPE's we keep hearing about?
Dry your eyes my man, ra sellick have had more dodgy decisions go their way this season than anyone else, or do you just take Liewwells word for it?
EUROPE LOVES US THE WORLD HATES US. Celtic FC's new motto.
Posted by: ifyecannae | May 12, 2008 at 05:03 PM | Report this comment
when craig levein called mike mc curry a cheat he was lambasted by all the reporters out there even davie provan was still on about it today.gordon smith went on to say that mc curry would never compromise his beliefs by cheating to help rangers win a game,what do they all think of him now that he has proved to everyone that he is a cheat of the worst kind when he can cheat on his own family
Posted by: stevie harvey | May 25, 2008 at 04:41 PM | Report this comment