Dan Neil has Ivor Pandur’s support despite expensive error in Dundee draw
Ivor Pandur backed Dan Neil after his costly mistake led to Rangers dropping two William Hill Premiership points in a 2-2 draw with Dundee on Saturday night.
Steven Pressley’s side took the lead at Dens Park in the 38th minute through striker Bradley Fink but Gers attacker Badredine Bouanani notched his first Gers goal three minutes later when he curled the ball in from the edge of the box.
Rangers started the second half with real drive and determination and took the lead on the hour mark with a stunning long-range strike by midfielder Nico Raskin.
However, in the 68th minute Neil, captain in the absence of injured Lawrence Shankland and who was the Ibrox hero before the international break with two goals in the 3-0 win over Celtic, fumbled in possession and Dundee midfielder Callum Jones strode away to fire past Pandur for a share of the spoils which in the end were deserved.
After seven straight wins for the Ibrox side previously it was a set-back for the Gers but the 26-year-old Croatian goalkeeper said: “You cannot take anything for granted in football.
“The reality is Dan Neil is a great guy, an unbelievable player and really important for our team. He’ll continue to be important for us. It can happen to everybody and it does.
“For us, it’s about not getting into that position where one mistake really costs us the game. We could have been more in front and had an easier ending.
“Mistakes will happen in football. It’s a game of beautiful moments and of mistakes. One day it’s one player, another day it’s the other.
“But we’re not a team who points fingers. As a whole, we created a lot and should have scored more.
“But it’s not about individuals here. We need to understand how important these games are. We’re aware of that. If we want to be a title-winning team we need to act and behave in that certain way.
“I think we’re on the right path but it was a frustrating game for us.
“We really felt that and it’s not a nice feeling, especially coming from a winning run.
“We know it’s two points dropped and we’re not happy about it. But we’re in this together and we’ll have these moments in the season.
“It’s a moment where we need to show what we want to achieve.”
Pandur believes Raskin’s strike from distance, which gave Dundee keeper Owen Goodman no chance as it thundered in off the crossbar, deserved to be a winner.
He said: “I haven’t seen a better goal than Nico’s for a long time. That was supposed to be the moment.
“That hurts me even more. That should have been the moment people talk about after the game.
“He scored an unbelievable goal and, like Dan, he’s really important for us. He’s also a great guy and that will have taken a bit out of him.
“But Nico will have more of those moments, and winning ones as well.”
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