Managers Post Rangers

03/12/11 JM:- "It was never a penalty; it was a really really poor decision.

MATCH PICTURES
Dunfermline boss Jim McIntyre felt that his side had missed out on grabbing a point at Ibrox:-

"We had a great chance with Alex Keddie's header and I'd like to see Barrowman's chance again as well. The boys were superb in the second half. It took us 20 to 25 minutes to get to grips with the game because Rangers started quick and we were sitting far too deep but I felt we grew in belief as the game went on."

Macca was disappointed with the way his side lost their goals:-

"It was not great defending. It has been played back and the goalkeeper has hit it off his own man and it has gone in the net. It was poor defending from our point of view but there's not a lot he could have done about it. There was not a lot of distance for Paul Gallacher to get it above him either, it was quite close in together - just one of those things that you take on the chin.

"I watched the second goal on the video and the ref has had a nightmare. It was never a penalty; it was a really, really poor decision. To be fair he did not have the best of days - the one in the middle of the park that he missed on Davie Graham. That's a key area but I don't want to make too much of the referee but he had a couple of poor decisions.

"I was really pleased with the way the players came out in the second half and kept at it. They worked extremely hard and we got two good goalscoring opportunities in Barrowman and Keddie. When you come to places like this you need to put them away."

Contrasting the experience with the recent visit to Celtic Park Jim added:-

"At Celtic Park, Celtic dominated and could have been four or five up but we had a good last twenty minutes. Today it was more even. We showed at Parkhead that we had players who got into good positions.  They could see for themselves that you have to have the belief when you come to these places. If you don't then you are beaten before a ball is kicked.

"You have got to remember that we have eight players missing. Eight players who would be in or about our first team, so to come here today and put on a great performance. Cardle has hardly trained in three weeks, Martin Hardie has only played seventy minutes and he has come back from being out from the fifth game of the season. We were stretched with a kid playing on the wing so I was really pleased with them."

Joe Cardle has now scored on each of his two visits to Ibrox and the Manager was a bit relieved with the celebration:-

"It was a bit better this time, he didn't get booked for it, that was pleasing! He did well because he trained Thursday and Friday and that's been it for the last three weeks because of the tendonitis in his knee. The only thing to fix that really is rest so he did well today because we asked him to play because we were short of numbers. Credit to him that he put himself forward to play.

"The back four were excellent and Martin Hardie and Gary Mason did a great job in front of them. That was the way that we wanted to set up given the personnel who had available. We put four really offensive players in front of them to try and create for us. It took us a while to get going but once we did then we looked a threat.

"One thing I will say is fine this season is our team spirit. A lot of managers go on about that, but it is excellent and they are a tight unit who get on great. That will prove vital come the end of the season."

Rangers manager Ally McCoist commented after the match:

"After a couple of disappointments against Kilmarnock and St Johnstone, there is absolutely no doubt that the three points were the most important thing. We can and will play a lot better. We certainly created a lot more today than we have done in those two particular games.

"Second half, we can play a lot better but I am really pleased with the three points."

His side might have been denied all the points had Alex Keddie had more luck with a late header. Coisty knew that his side had not really put the game away properly:-

"That's what you get against the Old Firm, there's nothing new. If you do not put the game out of sight and the opposition are still in the game with five or ten minutes to go nerves can generate around Old Firm grounds. That's what happens but we handled it alright. They had a wee chance with the header.

"I felt the goal we lost as well - obviously Dunfermline will lok at the goals we scored from a defensive point of view - was really disappointing. We got caught trying to attack when it was the wrong time. We should have let play develop a little more in the middle of the park before. We went a little early, the lad didn't go back, we lost the ball and we got caught in that space. I'd have to say that it was a really disappointing goal to lose because I felt at that particular time we had every chance to go on and make it 3-0.

"Dunfermline got the goal back and it was a good finish. They kept pressing, it was a nervy last ten minutes but we saw it out."

Was the penalty decision that handed Rangers the second goal?

"I can honestly say that it was too far away from me but I will give you an honest opinion on Monday.  If we were lucky to get it then I will tell you."

Asked about whether he had concerns over Nikica Jelavic's form:-

"I'm not overly concerned. Strikers are judged on their goals and he has scored so many great, important goals for us since he has been here. I don't think it would be right to start criticising him for missing one or two chances, especially me! He's had better days in front of goal, that goes without saying, but he will come back. I would probably be a little more concerned if he wasn't in the position to take any of these chances. He's never far away from the goalmouth action."