Rangers 2-2 Club Brugge: Things can only get better at Ibrox as Russell Martin sets about building dream team

In a weekend in which the headlines were dominated by a certain band from the 90s who make their long -awaited comeback, it was a different song from the same era that felt more in accordance with events at Ibrox.

Things can only get better because of D: Ream, the song that Tony Blair and Labor used for their election profit in 1997 became the voting music for the first day of Russell Martin in Ibrox.

Certainly, most supporters who went on their way to this opening would have been left for the season -friendly against Club Brugge with the feeling that the only way of here is.

Rangers were booed during the break, at which point they were 2-0 after Bruges had hit two early goals in the opening quarter of one hour.

There were aspects of the performance that were very raw and unpolished. While they are going to a training camp in St George's Park in England this week, Martin and his players clearly have a lot to work on.

In all honesty, Rangers showed a significant improvement in the second half against a Bruges side that reached the last 16 of last season's Champions League.

They must be encouraged by the way they were able to fight back, with the second half of goals from Mohamed Diomande and Young Findlay Curtis who returned the Belgian side for a 2-2 draw.

But with a Champions League qualifying match against Panathinaikos now only fourteen days, Martin is clearly still busy forming this team and transferring his message.

On and next to the field a lot of improvement is still required if Rangers have to give themselves the best chance of going against the Greeks.

Tooth problems were always to be expected in view of the enormous turnover of players in the summer and the fundamental changes that Martin wants to make in the playing style of Rangers.

But in the first half here certain players from last season seemed entirely from Martin's new system.

The most important among them was Robin Propper, whose lack of pace and mobility was clear last season, even in a low -block system.

So with Martin who asks Rangers to push up and keep a high line near the half line? There is simply no way to play in this system in the middle of the center.

Not to mention the fact that his distribution is not nearly good enough for Martin's on possession -based playing style.

The earlier Rangers can discharge the 31-year-old Dutch Center-Back and earn some money for him, the better for everyone involved.

Propper was replaced during the break by James Tavernier, who hit the right -sided centralback in the back of the back.

That was one of the five changes during the break when Martin looked at it to assess some of the options in the team in different positions.

Max Aarons was the only one of the five new summer signs of Rangers who started the game, with Manny Fernandez from the bank at 60 minutes when Martin made a series of changes.

Connor Barron supplied the team, while Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane did not contain in the middle of transfer speculation that connected them to movements away from Ibrox.

Thelo Baasgaard, Lyall Cameron and Joe Rothwell, the three other new signing sessions, were in the stands and were greeted by the crowd during the break.

They must be integrated into the team earlier instead of later with a view to the Panathinaikos game.

Rangers lost the opening goal after 10 minutes when Propper ventured with the ball and was pronounced, allowing Bruges to break on the counter.

Hugo Vet lessons saw his first effort saved by Liam Kelly from a Romeo Vermant cuts before he hit the rebound home.

Only four minutes later it was 2-0. After the ball had gone to the edge of the box, Ludovit Reis immediately met him on the volley and sent him in the top corner.

It was a wonderful finish and parts of the Ibrox -in addition, actually emerged to cheer the quality of the travel strike.

Although there was a decent enough crowd of almost 30,000 in the stadium, you could have heard a pin falling while supporters came to terms with what they looked. It could have been 3-0 if a shot by Christos Tzolis did not return from the post. Rangers were rattled and hang on.

Only 50 days after last season ended with a 2-2 draw at Hibs, it felt like the optimism for a new start under Martin quickly drained when a bit angry was eliminated during the break.

But credit to Rangers for turning it after the break. They were much more coherent in the way they pressed Bruges high on the field and won the ball in a number of good areas.

As an under-time below, Diomande curled a good finish layer in the bottom corner at 51 minutes to start the comeback.

Rangers started to get many more shots on goal, with Diomande and Danilo both close to an equalizer.

The Leveler came only two minutes before the end when Nedim Bajrami Curtis fed and the 18-year-old winger, who was the only player who played the full 90 minutes, low in the far corner.

Ultimately, Rangers were a considerable value for the draw in view of the way in which they are back in the second half. They caused problems against a Champions League team.

But Martin will know that there is still a lot to do if his team has to compete opposite Bruges on a regular basis in the new season.

Rangers (4-2-3-1): Kelly (Butland 46); Aarons (Hutton 60), Propper (Tavernier 46), King (Fernandez 60), Jefte (Ridvan 60); Barron (rice 46), Raskin (Diomande 46); Cortes (McCausland 60), Dowell (Bajrami 46), Curtis; Danilo (Gentles 60).

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