Liam Kelly can't defend Rangers collapse against Hibs as goalkeeper admits 'we weren't strong enough'
Patched-up defence, hectic schedule, even the Baltic temperatures at Easter Road.
If Liam Kelly was looking for excuses, he could point to any of those in a desperate attempt to mitigate the collapses that cost Rangers so dear in their 3-3 draw with Hibs on Sunday. But the Ibrox keeper was in no mood to defend the litany of mistakes that again sent Philippe Clement’s men stumbling backwards just days after they took a huge leap forward by beating Celtic. For half an hour in Leith, the Ibrox side put on a display of pace, movement and menace as they moved 2-0 ahead thanks to Hamza Igamane’s early double.
But all that disappeared the second they failed to deal with a fairly run-of-the-mill set-piece. Martin Boyle fired home after Gers lost out on the fight for the second balls and there was more sloppiness in the build-up to the controversial penalty award that saw the Hibs skipper level from the spot. Even then, the Ibrox side were able to regain control as Igamane wrapped up his hat-trick with 15 minutes left.
But the fragility that has seen the Light Blues fail to win seven of their 10 away games this term was clear for all to see as they allowed Rocky Bushiri to drag David Gray’s side level for a second time late on. And for Kelly, there’s no excuse that can justify that.
The Light Blues back-up stopper said: “I was really annoyed that we didn't come away with a victory after scoring three goals. In any game, when you play for this club, if you score three goals, that should be more than enough to win the game.
“So, I was really annoyed at the defensive moments we gave away. It was sloppy from us. We should never have conceded three goals. We just gave away a terrible goal for Hibs’ first. We gave away an awful goal, all of us collectively.
“A really poor goal and it gives them life in the game, which they never, ever had. It was out of nothing as well, really, a set piece, obviously.
“We don't defend it as a team and we gave them hope when we were so, so good in the early stages of the game. So, really frustrating. It shouldn't be like that playing for this club. Playing for Rangers, if you score three goals, you should win the game. Defensively, in moments, we weren't strong enough and it was not good enough. We should have won the game.”
It certainly looked like Clement’s side were on course for that as they swept through the Hibs backline in the early stages. Stand-in skipper Nico Raskin was carrying on from where he left off in Thursday’s Old Firm triumph, snapping into challenges and spraying passes.
The movement of Ianis Hagi, Nedim Bajrami and Vaclav Cerny was tearing the Hibs backline apart while up top, Igamane was providing a display of clinical finishing not seen from a Rangers striker since the days before Alfredo Morelos moved up to a pair of XL shorts. That’s all well and good in Kelly’s book, so long as you take the points.
In the end Gers had to settle for just one as the gap on Celtic was allowed to slip back to 13. “I thought we played well - but we didn't defend well in moments,” said the former Motherwell keeper. There was loads of good stuff, but nobody cares when you don't win a game.
“I’m not even going to sit here and try to waste anybody’s time by talking about the good stuff, because nobody cares if you don't get over the line and don't get a victory. We need to look at the stuff we didn't do well and try to cut that out.”
Asked if he could put his finger on what had gone wrong, Kelly added: “All of us, we started turning the ball over too much. Under pressure, we never kept the ball enough. After the half an hour, everyone saw there were some amazing moments for us in the game, but when you turn the ball over and you give Hibs momentum, you allow them to get the crowd up.
"It's sloppy, it's slack from all of us. When you look to improve, Thursday was amazing, it was the ultimate high, but that's why we're so far off at the moment, because in these defensive moments, we've not been strong enough. It's something we're aware of, it's something we're trying to get better at but again, on Sunday, we didn’t do enough.”
Kelly was starting just his third game in goal for the Ibrox side as he was thrust into a defence with left-back Ridvan Yilmaz starting on the opposite flank as cover for missing captain James Tavernier. With John Souttar and Leon Balogun both out, utility man Dujon Sterling was again asked to slot into an unfamiliar central defence slot, partnering Robin Propper for just the third time.
But Kelly insisted: “That's not a problem. We played against the toughest attack in the league on Thursday and got a clean sheet. So I'm not going to sit here and say the back five is now the issue.
“We've got some brilliant, experienced players in there, and it's not just on us to defend. Obviously, we're the main people that need to do that. But with the goals, individually we don't do well enough.
“The second was a penalty, the third one, Leon King heads it, it hits Bushiri's head and then goes in the goal. On another day, it can go somewhere else, but I'm not here to make excuses. You don't win the game, well this is a club where nobody cares what you say – you’ve just got to win.”
