B McPhail 12
Match Information
Attendance: 14,000
Referee: G.A. Pool (Edinburgh)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Often have I heard it stated by followers of football Ive gone to a football match, read the report of it in the newspapers and wondered if I had been there. I watched this game yesterday from the Ibrox stand. I sat in close proximity to supports of both Rangers and Dundee. Now I know why, on reading the newspapers, certain people wonder if they had been at the match. I sat dumb during the repeated arguments, but now I get my chance. Here is my say. It was a poor game. Rangers were the better team, and deserved to win, but they came very near to dropping a point. The first half was a thrilling as an old maids ludo party, and only in the last fifteen minutes or so of the second portion were we provided with anything resembling the stuff that makes a fellow rise to his feet. So far as national interest is concerned, I suppose the game at Hampden caught the imagination. I went to Ibrox to see Dundee, and hoping to see a Dundee that might bring some of the old-time glamour of football fame to Tayside. I was, frankly, disappointed. Dundee, as constituted yesterday, are not anything approaching a good team, and their comparative success, I am afraid, is due more to the weaknesses of other teams rather than to their own brilliance. In defence they are sound enough, but in attack they carry as much pinch as a wet sponge. Come to think of it, that is not a bad simile. Think of the speed and force with which a wet sponge, strongly thrown, travels through the air. Think also of the splash when it strikes the object. That is Dundees attack. Clever enough, nippy enough, in the outfield, but in the goal area a wash-out (no pun meant). In this game they made several scoring opportunities, and in addition, Simpson made two bad blunders that allowed McKay to get in, but none of them was taken advantage of. Miskicks were mixed up with misjudgement. I cannot, much as I would like to pick out a forward who pleases. I looked, frequently, for Murdoch to provide us with some of his Motherwell touches. He never did. There was even absent from his play that knack of being on hand to sneak a goal. Robertson now and again showed nice touches, and on the other wing there were Lee and Paterson, who could make Kennedy look cheap up to a certain point. In between was McKay who got many chances of beating Dawson, but he mulled them all; although in the first half he had one fine shot really brilliantly saved by Dawson. Even then, however, I think he could have scored had he went nearer the goal instead of shooting from the distance he did. He had a clear run in. The impotency of the Dundee attack was made most obvious in the late stages of the game when, on several occasions, they had the Rangers defence on the run, only to spoil themselves by last-second mistakes. Behind the forwards were three half-backs who now and again played well, both in defence and attack, and as often made errors. But behind this trio were a couple of staunch backs who put in a grand afternoons work. Morgan and Gilmour appealed to me as just about one of the best pair of club backs in the country. Marsh was erratic. He had several saves of the classy type particularly one from Smith, and another from McPhail, in the second half, but against that he produced some awkward-looking stuff that gave one the impression he was likely to lose a goal at any time. Rangers did not please me. They were a different side from the eleven that was on its toes against the Arsenal. But, as a result of this game, I made a prophecy. I have noted a gradual improvement in the keeping of Dawson, and I declare confidently that he will qualify to be Scotlands goalkeeper. Indeed, I go so far as to say that he must seriously be considered when the Selectors are choosing Scotlands team for the international games yet to be played. There is a nimbleness about him that few goalkeepers possess. His positioning in this game was perfect, and his clutching of the ball in the air was as graceful as one would like to see. Dawson has improved out of recognition since I first saw him. He is fast approaching that state when he will be referred to as a master of his art. Gray played his usual fine club game, although sometimes in the later stages he was rather easily beaten by Paterson. McDonald had Murdoch tied up, and played soundly enough to impress the Rangers directors that they havent a better left back on the books. Kennedy was the weakest of a half-back line that was beneath the usual Rangers class. His tackling was good enough, but his passes too often went to an opponent. Brown did not follow up his excellent showing against Arsenal. He was the Brown who has been subjected to so much criticism recently. Simpson was his usual self, but the playing field very often was not broad enough for him. Froward, Archibald was a mixture of good, bad and indifferent. Stevenson was a hard grafter, clever ay times, and always willing to take a chance at goal. His shooting, however, was off the mark. Smith was a poor centre, and most of his energy was spent in barging into Marsh, via either Morgan or Gilmour. McPhail was good to watch and deserved more than the one goal he scored. He had some right good solo runs, and bad luck prevented him from scoring a hat-trick. Nicholson was delightful on the left touchline. Unlike Brown, he carried Wednesday nights effectiveness into this game. It was unfortunate that in the second half he sustained a leg hurt, he continued to be dangerous. Nicky has caught the hearts of the crowd, and it appears as if he has solved one of Rangers problems at last. The only goal of the game was scored after thirteen minutes play. Archibald slipped the ball towards the centre. Smith brought it down, and McPhail, stepping forward, sent it low to the goal. Marsh dived, but too late. The ball struck his left upright, bounced out, hit the prostrate goalkeeper on the head, and rebounded into the net. It was an uncommon style to score. The play had a sameness about it all through that was irritating at times, and most of the exchanges were in midfield, one minute nearer Rangers end, the nest nearer Dundees it was unimpressive stuff.
