The Union Bears staged their protest walkout as promised – but the rest of the Ibrox support remained to see their side sort out sorry St Johnstone.
The ultras headed for the exits after 55 minutes but the move didn’t go down well with a large amount of the rest of the ground as Gers got back to winning ways in front of an eerily quiet atmosphere in Govan. Fed up fans gave Rangers the silent treatment.
Hamza Igamane, Mohamed Diomande and Vaclav Cerny struck in the first half to take some of the sting out of the fury from the stands at falling miles behind Premiership leaders Celtic under Philippe Clement. Jack Sanders pulled one back just seconds before the Union Bears group departed the scene to boos from around the stadium. The Copland Stand section usually bring the noise to the ground but this time they made a silent protest – only raising their voice to slam the board while lifting a succession of banners blasting the blazers in charge.
In general Ibrox hasn’t been this quiet since Covid – and apathy is as bigger problem than anger. On the pitch things were a bit more straightforward. The first half Premiership blitz with three goals in nine minutes lifted the mood a little after an awkward start in front of frustrated fans. There was a silent demonstration from the Union Bears ultras section followed by banners and chants blasting the board.
It didn’t go down well with some other punters but while all this was going on, Gers went ahead when Igamane drilled home from Diomande’s cutback after 16 minutes. Cerny grabbed a second four minutes later when he slotted past Andy Fisher after being released by Danilo. And it was three inside 26 minutes after more slapstick St Johnstone defending and neat finishing with Diomande nodding in after Jack Sanders generously cushioned a header into his path.
That flurry got some of the crowd going again and they were almost on their feet when Igamane went close after superbly flicking the ball to tee himself up for an overhead kick that skipped just wide. Saints were a shambles by that stage, struggling to keep the ball and leaving themselves wide open. They were lucky it was three at the break and the pressure continued into the second period, with Cerny and Diomande threatening.
All eyes were on the clock for the walkout – when Saints struck back on 54 minutes when Sanders thumped in a header from Sven Sprangler’s in-swinging corner. Sure enough, the Union Bears headed for the door moments later – and got booed by plenty others who remained to stay. If anything, the stunt galvanised others to back the team when they were looking to steady the ship after conceding with Saints marginally more menacing.
Graham Carey tested Liam Kelly with a low drive with Gers subs Ocar Cortes and Cyriel Dessers searching for a fourth at the other end. Injury-jinxed Danilo limping off at the end was another moment of frustration amid a scrappy end to a surreal afternoon. Here’s 3 talking points from Ibrox.
Walkout doesn’t work
The planned walkout didn’t quite go to plan as the Union Bears protest was’t joined by many of the rest of the Rangers support. The ultras group headed for the exits after 55 minutes as promised – but it didn’t go down well with a large number of others. There’s still widespread unhappiness among the Ibrox support at the current situation. But it looks like this idea wasn’t the way to do it.
There wasn’t a mass exodus but it was a bit more about the blue, blue seats of Ibrox here. A lot was made about the walkout, but it was also clear a few thousand fans didn’t fancy coming at all. In fairness, it was still a more than decent turnout in the circumstances, despite plenty of empty pews.
And there was also an eerie atmosphere with the ultras section, the Union Bears, making a 10 minute silent protest before their exit. It’s a section that usually brings the noise, yet here there wasn’t a peep and they showed there’s more than one way to get their point across.
When they did come to life, it wasn’t too complimentary. A banner was unfurled saying, ‘Everything from anyone? Fans gave all, while you let our standard fall,’ with chants of ‘sack the board’. Another sign came out saying, ‘our loyalty is not a pass for failure’ and one with, ‘Time for fans to force change’. The move didn’t go down well with everyone in the ground, and there were a few notable debates breaking out around the place, which only added to the surreal, angry atmosphere.
There were more when the walkout did happen – as it didn’t go down too well with everyone. But it’s clear this is not a happy camp right now with pressure on the dugout and disharmony in the stands.
And with Ibrox quieter than ever before, apathy is the real danger in these parts.
Home comforts
Clement has lost the support of a huge chunk of fans but his team still knows how to win at Ibrox. The dismal away form has left the Belgian under severe pressure but there isn’t much wrong with the results on their home patch. This was their 10th win in 11 games in Govan and it was never really in doubt with Saints in self-destruct mode.The Belgian needs to somehow work out a way of getting similar levels of performance on the road as he does at Ibrox, even if it does already look too late.
Saints and sinners
No one expected much of St Johnstone at Ibrox – and they didn’t offer much. The Perth side will need to pick up points elsewhere but they were fairly woeful here. In recent years, this has been a team that knew how to make like difficult for rivals like Rangers and Celtic.
But right now they are a pale imitation. The first two goals were good finishes but the defending was rank rotten – and things that could be avoided. As for the third Jack Sanders practically provided an assist with his header into the path of Diomande. No wonder Simo Valakari had his head in his hands. For some reason Saints were trying to pass the ball out from the back – even when it seemed totally beyond them.