Interim Rangers coach Stevie Smith admitted frustration after his side once again failed to turn a dominant first half into three points, drawing 2–2 with Dundee United at Ibrox.
Speaking to Rangers TV after full-time, Smith said the result was “difficult to take” after watching his team lose control of a match they should have put beyond doubt before the interval.
“Difficult to take,” he said. “In the first half I thought we played at a good level, but I still think we could have gone up another gear and got a couple more goals. Then the game changed in the second half, and we didn’t change with it. To go from that first-half performance to ending up lucky to get a point is the frustration.”
Rangers were excellent in the opening period, with Thelo Aasgaard curling home a superb goal to cap 45 minutes of fast, direct football. But after the break, Dundee United’s intensity increased and Rangers were unable to match it, a theme Smith acknowledged has defined much of the season.
“I think Dundee United’s aggression changed, which we probably expected,” he said.
“They weren’t at their usual level in the first half, that was down to how good we were. But you’ve got to expect that change in aggression from a team like Dundee United because you know it’s coming, and we just didn’t match it.”
Smith admitted his biggest frustration at half-time was the missed opportunity to kill the game off while Rangers were in control but said he had tried to keep his players focused on the positives given the difficult atmosphere surrounding the team in recent weeks.
“It was frustrating not to be further ahead,” he said. “But you’re trying to remind them of the positives because they’ve been through a tough period as a group. There were loads of positives in the first half, it doesn’t feel like that now because we didn’t win, but there was plenty of good football.”
The interim boss, who has been working with the first team for just over a week, stopped short of criticising individuals but admitted that low confidence and fragile mentality continue to affect the side when momentum swings against them.
“It can have an impact, that’s obvious,” Smith said. “But after the game I can only give them advice and try to help them through it. I’ve only worked with the group for ten days maximum, maybe four or five training sessions, so it’s not my job to rant and rave.
“I’ve been in tough moments at this football club before, so it’s just about trying to pass on that experience. I’m sure the coaches and managers before me have said the same, as a group, they need to stick together.”
Smith is expected to remain in interim charge for the moment, with Neil McCann expected to step in until Kevin Muscat officially joins later this month when McCann will become the Australian’s number two, but his comments echoed a broader truth that has defined Rangers’ campaign: fleeting quality, undone by mental frailty and inconsistency.