Neil McCann and Billy Dodds have their say on Nikola Katic’s contribution for Rangers vs Hearts

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Rangers had a difficult afternoon away from Ibrox on Sunday.

Rangers defender Nikola Katic has been singled out for criticism and praise from BBC Scotland’s punditry team at Tynecastle this afternoon (20/10 live match page, 12:47 & 13:39).

The Gers are no longer top of the Scottish Premiership table after this weekend’s results, level on points with Celtic after today’s draw away to Hearts.

Despite the struggles of Craig Levein’s side this season, it always promised to be a tough, physical encounter in a fiery atmosphere for Steven Gerrard’s men.

Going behind in the first half, the Ibrox outfit found their way back into the match with an Alfredo Morelos equaliser, but rarely threatened after the interval to find a way to win.

Katic had a fascinating battle with Uche Ikpeazu all afternoon.

It was a battle that Neil McCann felt the Rangers man struggled to deal with at points.

As quoted by BBC Scotland (20/10 live match page, 12:47), he said: “Rangers’ Nikola Katic needs to stop crying. Big Uche Ikpeazu is just roughing him up a little bit. It’s the same tactics that Livingston employed against Celtic. Just go and make it difficult, make it tough for them, see if they can handle it and lose composure.”

Another former Rangers player, Billy Dodds, however felt that Katic’s display was a sign of the Gers’ improved defence compared to last season.

He told BBC Sportsound (20/10 live match page, 13:39): “There is no doubt Rangers’ defence has improved. It was their Achilles heel last year, but Katic looks like a proper defender now and they have good options.”

Who got it right here?

Katic didn’t look particularly comfortable all afternoon, with Hearts consistently targeting his area of the pitch with high balls and runs.

The Croatian looked to be drawn into the tussle with Ikpeazu at points rather than using his football intelligence to defend in the robust manner Gerrard would have been looking for.

McCann is right to have a go at his petulance too, with Katic and his teammates often found complaining to the referee rather than standing up to the physical challenges of the Hearts striker.

There’s no doubt that the Gers have improved since last year, but Dodds’ comments don’t ring very true after today, especially as defensive errors led to the home side’s opening goal.

Rangers are still a work in progress, Katic included.