James Tavernier’s late goal earned Rangers a 2-2 draw with Dundee United at Ibrox as the interim manager, Steven Smith, got a taste of the fragility which has dogged the club all season.
The under-19s coach was taking the reins for the first time while the Light Blues search for a new manager to replace the sacked Russell Martin, with former Rangers player Kevin Muscat set to take over. Improvement under Smith was immediate and after 25 minutes Thelo Aasgaard scored a terrific first goal since signing from Luton in the summer.
However, Jim Goodwin’s side came back into the game after the break and the substitute Kristijan Trapanovski drew the sides level in the 67th minute before Craig Sibbald scored in the 75th with a wonderful strike from distance. But Tavernier equalised with a fine finish in the 86th minute, and six added minutes could not bring a winner for either team, leaving the home side with just one win in eight Premiership fixtures.
Smith, who had two spells as a player at Ibrox, told his players before kick-off to “be brave, take responsibility. Trust the information given and execute the gameplan” and they certainly started in a positive fashion. However, the Rangers ultras group in the Copland stand, Union Bears, displayed a message on banners which appeared to be aimed at the players: “No more buses to hide on. No more managers to hide behind. Face your failures like men”.
