Murray 4
Fleming 10
S Archibald 87
Match Information
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: R Innes (Glasgow)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
The game between Rangers and Hearts at Ibrox yesterday provided a contrast in football methods. From Rangers emanated football free and open – what I term progressive football. It was telling football, and long before the final whistle Hearts were a well-beaten team. Hearts were laboured in style, neither playing an open nor a close game. They mixed it too much, seldom getting well into Rangers’ territory. There was pluck in plenty shown by Hearts, but weak spots were apparent, especially in the half-back line. These must be remedied, otherwise the Tynecastle team cannot be expected to be more than an average combination. Twenty-five thousand people looked on. Rangers were early aggressive. The half-backs forced on their forwards, and McPhail and Morton were prominent with some clever combination, and the winger gave White a stinging shot to hold. Hearts’ half-back lacked the repose of the Rangers trio. They could not get their forwards moving. Indeed, they got little time for constructive work, so much were they harassed by the Rangers’ forwards. For a considerable time, the Rangers Hearts’ attack was never in the picture. Peter Kerr made a strenuous effort to set Rogers and Smith going, but Craig and McCandless applied the stopper ere danger was apparent. Little surprise was occasioned, when after nine minutes play, Fleming headed into the net a ball from the right wing. Hearts wakened up a trifle after this reverse, but the efforts of the half-backs to formulate attacks were too obvious. Lacking was the subtlety shown by Muirhead and Craig. Smith, however, demonstrated that if he got any rope, damage would accrue. But the Hearts’ raids were ragged affairs. Individually the forwards showed skill, but effective combination was sadly lacking. Morgan had plenty of dash, and kept Meiklejohn on the move, but lack of support he failed to produce tangible results. And so, the game went on, Hearts straining laboriously, with but an occasional flash of mobility; Rangers’ crisp and telling in their methods. One of their swift attacks saw Alan Morton fouled by Cameron, and from the ensuing free kick Rangers got another goal. Morton lobbed neatly over White’s upstretched arms and found the net off the post. So far, the game had not resolved itself into a contest. Rangers were too often dominant. However, the volatile Morgan, sensing the need for dash and open play to unsettle the Ibrox defence, set off in conjunction with Rogers, and ended by hooking the ball viciously against the bar with Hamilton beaten. Hoped revived that Hearts were finding their feet, but it was not so. Black came the Rangers, intent on adding to their score. Their play was delightfully open. There was little tip-tapping. Progressive football was that of Rangers’ Hearts was a mixture – close then open, seldom progressive. Cameron and King put in some smart defensive work – so did Willie White. Kerr and Johnston were too slow for Rangers inside forwards. They were passed time and again. And on the backs and goalkeeper fell the brunt of the Ibrox attack, sweeping down, scarcely checked by the half-backs. The defence wrought manfully, but the task was too great and little hope could While have of stopping a flashing drive from Archibald. The next minute the keeper distinguished himself by saving with one hand a fast ball from Cunningham. There was little at the commencement of the second half to indicate a change in the run of the game. Hearts, three goals down, were not apathetic, but they lacked the thrust necessary to combat the keen-tackling Rangers half-backs. Muirhead and craig were on their best form. Their passing and positional play was of the highest order. To their promptings the forwards replied in splendid style, combining clever individual efforts with cohesive runs in on White. And considering the pressure imposed on the Hearts half-backs it would be unfair to harshly criticise them in their failure to initiate attacks. Kerr was too slow to hold up McPhail. Forrest and Johnston were too much on the defensive to support their attack. Johnston seemed disinclined to move far upfield, and his constructive work took the form of long runs down centre. And so, it was left to the visiting attack to do most of their own foraging. Lack of combination nullified many whole-hearted attempts to break through. Rogers and Murray, on the wings, tried hard and often, but cohesion was broken long ere Hamilton was with range. But the dashing Morgan got his reward midway through this half, when he shot into the net with Hamilton away from home. The goal bucked up Hearts, but Rangers had something in reserve – sufficient to check the visitors’ ambitions. Just on time Archibald scored a fourth goal for rangers with an oblique shot which beat White completely. The game was bright and interesting only because of Rangers’ class football. Hearts were not string enough to run the Light Blues hard. The honours of the game must go to Hearts’ defence. They were fighting with their backs to the wall from start to finish. White, on many occasions, accomplished the seemingly impossible. He stopped balls which would have beaten many keepers. His one-handed save of a fierce drive from Cunningham was smart indeed. Cameron and King were a pair of dogged defenders. The latter was the more polished, but Cameron was wonderfully confident against the tricky McPhail-Morton wing. And extra praise is due these defenders when we consider how little was the support afforded by the half-backs. In the middle line was the Hearts’ weakness. Johnston was the best of a mediocre line, but he was obliged too frequently to be on the defensive. Kerr was willing and clever, but too slow. Forrest was not a success. Forward we looked for something hot from McMillan and Jamie Smith, but these two usually effective lads were effective only in spasms. Morgan, I thought the most enterprising of the line. He worked hard to make openings, but without success. His colleagues were not subtle enough to combine effectively. Rogers and Murray had speed but little guile. Hearts’ Directors have more than one problem to solve ere a team has been built which will consistency. Rangers all played well, but it must be borne in mind that the opposition was not of a testing nature. The Ibrox men will encounter many better teams. It must be admitted, however, that the Light Blues play was really clever stuff – really sparkling football. They were far from going all out. Tom Hamilton and his backs were crisp, cool and confident. In the half-back line was no weakling. Every man was at the top of his form. Meiklejohn, Muirhead and Craig constituted the rock on which Hearts’ attack was easily wrecked. Forward Cunningham was the key man. McPhail is not yet alive to all his new colleagues’ moves, but he improves. Archibald and Morton were effervescent. Fleming was a dashing and clever leader – tireless.
