REF WRATH HIDES HARD REALITY THAT GERS LACK TRUE QUALITY

LISTENING to the Rangers fans on the way home from the game yesterday you would have thought referee Charlie Richmond and his linesmen were employees of Vladimir Romanov.

So, let's be quite clear.

The lack of quality on offer from Rangers in a poor match had nothing to do with the ref's performance. Richmond actually got the one big decision of the day right with the help of the standside linesman. Barry Ferguson was clearly offside when he turned home a Chris Burke cross on 77 minutes.

All you can ask is that any ref gets the big decisions right and as for his decision to stop play when Takis Fyssas went down with a head injury, he has no choice there.

Yes, Rangers were on the attack but had it been at the other end of the pitch, he would've done the same thing. Head knocks have to be taken seriously.

You can argue whether certain players will take advantage of that rule and my guess is that they will. But Charlie Richmond can hardly be blamed for such behaviour.

Right now, Hearts are angry at suggestions that their squad is full of divers and cheats and Craig Gordon was right to say that sort of thing goes on at every other club in the SPL.

I've always believed that cheating is a part of the game.

If you work on the basis that every player is capable of cheating, there are certain levels of it that are embarrassing and Andrius Velicka overstepped the mark last week in the part he played in getting Darren Barr sent off.

But as usual, fans are hypocritical when it comes to recognising it in their own team.

In any event, the performance of the referee is not the main issue surrounding Walter Smith's men.

I believe the Gers fans want to see a lot more quality on the pitch and the truth yesterday was that Rangers were at home, they failed to take any of the very few chances they created and despite being more solid at the back, they're still too ordinary to go on a consistent run of victories.

That's why they're so far behind in the title race.

With the transfer window about to close on Wednesday, yesterday's 90 minutes was a stark reminder of just how tough it will be for Walter Smith to turn things around.

This was a chance for Rangers to put Hearts out of sight and not for the first time this season, they slipped up. That's the Ibrox side's biggest problem and let's be honest, they were up against a weakened Hearts team.

The debate over who picks the team for the Gorgie men on a weekly basis is pointless.

Vladimir Romanov undoubtedly controls team selection and it must be galling for him that on the back of huge wages paid out to certain players, the Jambos are left competing for a place in Europe with Aberdeen and Hibs, two clubs who operate on a fraction of the resources of Hearts.

He has to get his money back from somewhere so it's no real surprise that Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley will follow Steven Pressley out the door. Their sale will bring in a few million pounds and if he's serious about redeveloping Tynecastle, that'll cost a lot of money.

I believe Romanov holds a grudge against the men who had the cheek to question his authority. Gordon and Hartley stood next to Pressley when he spoke of the "significant unrest" in the dressing room and that problem will soon be cured.

Every single Scot is slowly being forced out of the team and Romanov's vision of 11 Lithuanians in his starting line up looks as though it'll come to fruition. In a footballing sense, a point for Hearts yesterday means they're still in the hunt for another shot at the lucrative Champions League.

But until Hearts can find a way to win in Glasgow, they'll always be second best to the Old Firm.

Their record in the footballing capital is appalling and I'd be very surprised if they manage to overhaul Rangers for the second season on the trot.

In a game of poor quality, the best men on the park were all defenders.

Compare the experience of Gers' new-look defensive partnership of Ugo Ehiogu and David Weir to the disaster that was Karl Svensson and Sasa Papac or Brahim Hemdani.

Walter Smith's initial short-term signings are players he can trust.

They're a solid partnership and their presence, in my view, will ensure Rangers finish second and earn a crack at the Champions League next season.

If they can introduce one or two other creative signings before the deadline, that would be a big help in convincing the fans the club is heading in the right direction.

But Hearts too can be pleased with the performances of Christophe Berra and Marius Zaliukas. Like the Gers pairing, they were strong and resolute at the back but the game was crying out for some skill and invention.

On a poor surface, it was hard to find any player with real class.

Taken from the Sunday Mail