Andy Halliday scored as Rangers beat Partick Thistle 2-0 at Ibrox.
Andy Halliday celebrates with Kenny Miller after scoring for Rangers
Pundit Michael Stewart has told BBC Sport’s Sportscene that he thinks Andy Halliday was ‘very pivotal’ against Partick Thistle on Saturday afternoon.
Having lost to rivals Celtic and Aberdeen in September, Rangers needed to open October with a victory as Partick Thistle travelled to Ibrox last weekend.
General view of Ibrox
With manager Mark Warburton under pressure, he needed a victory to regain some momentum – and that’s just what he got as Niko Kranjcar and Andy Halliday scored first-half goals to claim a 2-0 victory.
Rangers appear to have found a better balance in midfield, and that’s partly down to the return of Halliday to Warburton’s first-team.
Halliday – a Rangers fan favourite due to his boyhood support of the club – had been surprisingly left out of the side to take on Celtic last month, but is now back in the heart of midfield.
Andy Halliday celebrates after scoring for Rangers
After Saturday’s game, former Rangers youngster and current pundit Michael Stewart spoke to BBC Sport’s Sportscene about the game, and hailed Halliday for his performance.
Stewart stated that Halliday was ‘very pivotal’, and looks like he now knows he is once again important under Warburton having featured so heavily last season.
Stewart added that he doesn’t think that suspended midfielder Joey Barton will get back in the team, as whilst it was always unlikely due to his public row with the club, Halliday has added great balance to the midfield, meaning Barton isn’t needed anyway.
Joey Barton
“I think he was very pivotal in the performance,” said Stewart. “To me, he looked like somebody that felt like he was one of the main guys. At the start of the season, he looked like a peripheral figure, he looked like he felt he was peripheral.”
“Now, he’s in the centre of midfield, dominating the game, and I think he feels like he’s got the trust of the manager back. I don’t think Barton will get back in. His time has gone anyway, but also, when you look at the makeup and the mix of that midfield, it looks a lot better now,” he added.
Do you think Halliday has improved the Rangers midfield?
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