BBC journalist stunned at what Rangers fans did after 10 mins at Ibrox v Livingston.
Rangers fans stunned Martin Dowden after screaming at Livingston players for wasting time in the first 10 minutes of the encounter at Ibrox.
The BBC Sport Scotland writer stated that the crowd reaction was unprecedented, with Rangers fans unhappy that Livingston was slowing down the game at every opportunity.
Rangers had a miserable first half, struggling to threaten the Livingston defence or goalie before Fabio Silva scored with minutes remaining before break, and Rabbi Matondo added another.
Dowden said on the BBC Sport live blog [3 January, 15:17]: “I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a crowd screaming at the opposition within ten minutes about wasting time, but it’s happening here.”
“Livingston is slowing down at every chance, and why not? They intend to frustrate for as long as possible.”
Livingston frustrating Rangers at Ibrox
Time waste is always frustrating for both fans and players within the stadium. Rangers would benefit from a free-flowing game with the ball in play, allowing players to express themselves, but Livingston will not allow that to happen here.
Philippe Clement and his team will know what they need to accomplish, especially after Aberdeen drew 1-1 with league leaders Celtic earlier in the day, allowing Rangers to close the gap to the top.
The Ibrox crowd’s howls of frustration will be accompanied by a weight of expectation, knowing the opportunity ahead of them and seeing it pushed farther away with every second Livingston wastes, albeit that tension was relieved after Silva’s goal.
Rangers need inspiration to overcome their opponents’ time-wasting tactics, as scoring goals is the only way to halt it. Players have been told to expect this.
Lawrence Shankland’s first-half goal for Hearts will be a source of discontent at Ibrox, following a busy January transfer window.
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