T Cairns <45
Paterson >45
Match Information
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: R.T. Murray (Stenhousemuir)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
We have had the ‘New Rangers,’ the ‘Old Rangers,’ and various other kinds of Rangers since the present season set sail on a checkered voyage, but I think that at Ibrox against Dundee, we saw a Rangers entirely different from any of the other kind. I would call them the variegated Rangers – the Rangers of many shades and colour – which has no reference, be it noted, to their change at the interval from white to light blue jerseys, a proceeding that puzzled the people. A choppy sort of breeze was at the backs of the Ibrox team in the first half, but it made little difference either way. For the whole of the game the case, as concerned the respective forward lines, was that the Rangers’ lot were well in it, and the Dundee lot well out of it. A sharper contrast in that respect I am certain you never saw. I never. Dundee’s main function for the day was to defend. That they did that well is shown by the narrow limits of the score – a goal in each half. Of course, their forwards were sometimes in Lock’s area, and strange to say, they had two excellent scoring chances which might easily have been goals. But which were both missed – by Cargill and Brown. The rest of the game in its aggressive side was in the hands of the Rangers’ forwards and half-backs. Result were not in accord with their practical monopoly of the ball, and the explanation was, first an able Dundee defence, and second – and third and fourth, too if you like – extremely indifferent finishing. Some of the Rangers’ forward play in the first half was high-water mark. Bowie, in particular, adroitly evaded his opponents, dribbled, and plied Duncan to his heart’s content. Time and again their friends were getting ready to cheer when something would go wrong somewhere. Generally it was the marksmanship. And yet it is, perhaps as well, for had Rangers scored every time they looked like it, I should have been sorry for such a plucky lot as Dundee proven themselves to be. Against the wind the Dundee forwards were down at Lock with the opening run. It was a wide-passing, innocent-looking sweep, with Hogg leading the way; yet it found Cargill with the ball a few yards from goal, and no one to bother him. He was ungrateful enough to shoot high over the bar, and neither he nor any other Dundee man – except Hogg on an occasion I shall mention – got so good a chance in this half. But Bowie – the best controller and the worst finisher on the field – was quite as much at fault next minute, while Duncan followed with a point-black shot at Masterton, when less force and more judgement would have put the ball away from Masterton. However, the way in which Rangers were shaping made a goal for them well-nigh certain. It came in twelve minutes. Paterson made a dainty bit of dribbling, and then lofted the ball over to Bowie, who was well in to the centre and not in the way of shooting. So he slipped on a pass to Cairns, who shot so quickly that none of the near-by Dundee defenders had time to mark him. Masterton was beaten by the flight of the ball. Now I fancied that that goal was to be the first of many, but what between Duncan getting his centres over at an express pace that beat his own men, Bowie’s failure to take two pretty chances, Masterton’s clever save from Reid and Paterson – one trim shot from each of the two Rangers’ men – on another occasion as bad miss by Reid close in, and a generally useful spoiling defence by the Dundee lacks and halfs – what between the one thing and another, not another goal was scored this half. I could not count the corners Rangers had. For a spell Duncan took to playing too much with the ball. He was never better than when taking his pass running ahead and centring. Then his play was really first-rate. It was nigh on the interval when the Rangers’ defence, for long luxuriating in idleness received a fright. Muir, with the ball at his feet, rated Hogg too low. Hogg bustled in to him, helped himself to the ball, and ran way clear of the outfield defence, although closely pursued. Hogg has scored many a time from a less favourable position, but this time Lock managed to put himself in the way of his shot, for which the most grateful man should have been Muir. After this we saw Dundee called upon to show some desperate defence. Duncan made a dashing run and a shot that was well saved by Masterton. And there was still time for Brown to take Dundee along with a bustling dribble, in which he quite cleverly beat a couple of opponents before discovering Hogg offside. A one – goal lead did not represent Rangers superiority, but they had themselves largely to blame. And so it was in the second half, which Bowie opened by making a terrible miss after Logan, Paterson and Duncan had combined to give him the sort of chance you might say a man would dream about. This was the kind of thing that went on for a while, the Dundee forwards being so little concerned in the play that Hogg passed the time on the line tossing up a penny and guessing heads or tails. But then in a loose, wide-passing run these Dundee forwards swing in on Lock without an effort almost, and Brown had only to keep his wits and a sure foot to have drawn blood. He didn’t. The escape put some extra driving power into the Rangers’ attack. Cairns made a typical dashing effort to bore through, and though he failed after being twice nearly grassed, his example set Reid on a similar exploit immediately after. This time success was the reward. Reid beat man after man, meanwhile slanting towards the left. He deceived Masterton by a feint at shooting, and when forced at last to part with the ball had the satisfaction of seeing Paterson ram it home, Thomson failing in a praiseworthy effort to intercept at the post. It had taken Rangers half-an hour to get this goal. They were near getting more before the finish, for Reid was keen on the scent now, and the halfs were forcing the game better than formerly. Nothing came of it, however, for the finishing was the thing that never improved. So needless to say, there was something unsatisfying even to the winners. These is this to state, however, that had Dundee defended less the likelihood of a bigger Rangers’ score would have been improved. A number of the corners gained in the first half were the result of shots that were going the right road being either accidentally or intentionally turned over the line for safety. With it all Masterton had a good deal to do, and id it efficiently. Lock, mostly a spectator, was yet indebted to the Dundee forwards for throwing away their few excellent chances. It is simply wonderful how near to being another surprise packet was this Dundee visit to Ibrox. Thomson was the better of two busy Dundee backs, but then he had the best Dundee half in front of him in McIntosh. There two gave mothering away, a statement in which Cairns and Paterson will bear me out. McDonald followed Reid about like a Bow Street runner, which accounted to a large extent for the Rangers’ centre failing to get the passes which Bowie and Cairns tried to push through. Aitken and Hutchison did their bit, although the more vulnerable part of the Dundee defence. Craig and Muir were not tested, not so much owing to the strength of their halfs, as to the weakness of the Dundee forwards. Gordon I have not seen so unimpressive for many a day. Logan was strongest of the three, though Pursell also was indifferent. As I have remarked the forwards play was variegated. To Bowie I would readily have awarded the palm, only I would have to couple it with a bad add a remark for his finishing. Some of his in-and-out dodgy work was of his best. Duncan. I fancy would be more effective if he would endeavour to turn his centres more into the field – I mean away from the goalkeeper. He was full of running and certainly had not much luck with his centres, fast and furious as they were. Cairns and Paterson were less seen because of the resourceful defence opposed to them. Dundee’ forwards as a whole suffered from lack of experience, but Hogg showed himself far from a spent force. He did not get many chances, but enough to enable him to put the home defence in Queer Street more than one. Brown, the centre should develop
