sports

Is title-chasing Rangers' away form a concern?

[BBC]

Might away form prove Rangers' undoing in the title race?

Danny Rohl's men slipped up on their travels at 10-man Motherwell on Wednesday night, shipping a late equaliser - to Celtic loanee Stephen Welsh of all people.

It was a second successive away draw for Rangers, who are now five points adrift of leaders Hearts before hosting the Tynecastle side this weekend. Skipper James Tavernier was not resorting to hyperbole when referring to it is must-win for Rangers.

There's no doubt Rohl has had a transformative effect since inheriting a mess from Russell Martin in October.

The German has suffered just one defeat in his 18 league games and has revived the Ibrox club's title hopes - but they are showing frailties away from Ibrox.

At home, Rangers under Rohl have been almost flawless, spilling just two points, with eight wins and a draw. That's an average of 2.78 per game.

On the road, it's 18 points from a possible 27 (an average of 2.0 per game), with five wins, three draws and one loss.

While Rohl's Rangers impressed have impressed at times on their travels - particularly in the derby victory at Celtic Park and overcoming Aberdeen - they were meek in defeat at Tynecastle and poor in the past two away trips, the goalless stalemate draw at Hibs and 1-1 draw at Fir Park.

Rohl came in for criticism for starting without the majority of his January signings against Motherwell, and there's plenty of room for improvement as newcomers settle in and find their feet.

But at a time when the title race is cracking up, any slip could be costly and vulnerabilities pounced upon.

Of Rangers' seven remaining pre-split fixtures, three are away - at bottom club Livingston, St Mirren and Falkirk. Full points must be the expectation.

An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.
[BBC]

Read full story at Yahoo Sport →