Rangers booed off after second straight draw
Rangers boss Russell Martin pleaded for patience from fans as his team was booed off after a 1-1 draw with Dundee, its second in two Scottish Premiership matches.
Martin's reign got off to an underwhelming start when Rangers drew 1-1 at Motherwell in his first domestic game at the helm last week, a result that prompted the former Southampton boss to publicly criticise his players.
They responded with a 3-0 rout of Viktoria Plzen in a midweek UEFA Champions League qualifier, but were then brought crashing back to earth at Ibrox Stadium against Dundee.
Ryan Astley's looping header gave the visitors a 51st-minute lead, and just eight minutes later, Rangers saw Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Nasser Djiga sent off for a professional foul, after John Souttar's poor pass allowed Finlay Robertson in on goal.
Djeidi Gassama won a late penalty, which James Tavernier converted to spare Rangers' blushes somewhat, but after Cyriel Dessers saw a potential winner disallowed for offside, the home team was jeered at full-time.
It now faces the prospect of slipping four points behind Celtic already, should Brendan Rodgers's team defeat Aberdeen. However, Martin is aware there is plenty of football still to be played.
"Supporters are the most important people at every football club. So they have every right," Martin said when asked about the jeers that sounded around Ibrox.
"But it's a really long season. This team will grow. Hopefully the supporters can be patient with them and grow with them.
"It's the highs and lows of this football club. We'll be really consistent with the guys and what's expected. We'll get better.
"I'm really pleased we didn't get beaten. I know that sounds negative, but going down to 10 men so early in the game, then having a willingness to drive and try and win the game, I enjoyed that side. But we have to play with that mentality all the time."
Martin then admitted he regretted not making changes to his starting line-up, having fielded the same team that defeated Plzen so comprehensively in midweek.
"Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but after Tuesday, I probably should have made some changes and put some energy into the team," Martin said. "So that's my responsibility.
"But we lacked aggression in big moments. Set-plays especially, which is disappointing, because we've done a lot of work on them and did so well on Tuesday [Wednesday AEST] night.
"There was definitely a lethargy. It was disappointing and frustrating. But we're learning so much about the guys and they're learning so much as well."
Rangers goes to Czechia for the second leg of its third-round qualification tie this week, then hosts Alloa Athletic in the second round of the Scottish League Cup next weekend.
Its next league game is at St Mirren, before it closes out August with an Old Firm Derby against Celtic at Ibrox, a fixture that could already have huge importance in the title race.
