Tag: Scottish football

Rangers 4-0 St Mirren: As Ref Awards Four Penalties

Referee Andrew Dallas awarded four penalties to Rangers in their 4-0 victory over St Mirren.

New forward Jermain Defoe drew foul in the penalty area inside the opening two minutes in what was the first of many penalty decisions. Captain James Tavernier made no mistake from the spot to give the hosts the lead.

Rangers were awarded a second penalty twenty minutes later when Defoe again drew foul in the box. the hosts were not best pleased by the strikers antics with the foul being a light one. once again Tavernier stepped up but was unable to capitalise on the opportunity as his shot struck the post.

still the hosts continued to push with Defoe and Ryan Kent both coming incredibly close in the first half.

but it wasn’t until ten minutes into the second half that Rangers doubled their lead. and once again, referee Andrew Dallas had a big role to play. James Tavernier’s appeared to strike the arm of St Mirren’s Greg Tansey and Dallas awarded a third penalty to the hosts. Tavernier made no mistake this time.

Rangers continued to dominate and were awarded a fourth penalty with ten minutes remaining as Tansey brought Gers winger Candeias down just inside the box. this time it was Defoe who stepped up to fire home Ranger’s third,

just a minute later and Rangers added a fourth through Ryan Kent. this one came from open play though as Defoe set up his fellow countrymen to hammer home a comfortable win.

the win puts Rangers comfortably in second, three points behind rivals Celtic. Meanwhile, St Mirren remain rooted in last place, two points behind second bottom Dundee

This Weeks Scottish Transfer News

With the winter break well underway, Scottish Premiership teams have been lining up potential transfers to help their squads ahead of the remainder of the season.

Arguably the biggest deal of the window so far is Rangers aquisition of former England international Jermain Defoe on loan from English side Bournemouth. The 36 year old talisman has fallen out of favour at his parent club but could make all the difference if Rangers want to mount a serious title challenge.

Elsewhere, Neill Lennon has been successful in his persuit of former Dundee United star Ryan Gauld on loan from Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon. The young attacking midfielder made the switch from United in 2014 for a romoured fee of around £3 million. Since then Gauld has failed to make an impact for Sporting spending much of his time on loan in lower Portuguese divisions. Lennon will be hoping that the midfielder can regain some form and help Hibernian bid for a top six finish.

League leaders Celtic have also added to their side, taking Scotland international Oliver Burke on loan. The winger has spent time in Germany before making the move to English side West Bromwich Albion. The wingers strength and pace has seen him compared to Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale and could be a key player as Celtic aim to retain the title.

Former Rangers and St Johnstone winger Michael O’Halloran could be a potential target for many Premiership sides following an unsuccessful spell in Australia. The winger’s fast pace and finishing ability will have many sides on high alert including former side St Johnstone, where he enjoyed his best form.

With the league as close as it’s been for a while, this window could prove crucial in the end position for many sides this season.