Dundee United 4 Kilmarnock 0: Houston hails John Rankin's 'brilliant' attitude
Dundee United boss Peter Houston hailed midfielder John Rankin for his virtuoso display against Kilmarnock.
John Rankin's performance was hailed by his manager.
- By Ian Roache
- Published in the Courier : 22.02.12
- Published online : 22.02.12 @ 10.39am
The Tangerines put the Ayrshire men to the sword, scoring four second-half goals through Jon Daly (penalty), Paul Dixon, Rankin and Scott Robertson to head back into the top six.
Rankin was the first among equals in an excellent team performance, pulling the strings in the middle of the park to earn the praise of his gaffer. Houston is now tipping him to collect a pile of player-of-the-year awards from the club's fans.
''I couldn't believe that I got John last summer when I signed him but I am delighted I did,'' said Houston. ''He typifies the spirit here and has the energy that we saw in the likes of Morgaro Gomis and Prince Buaben, who had done well for us in the past.
''He wasn't in the picture at Hibs when I spoke to him about coming here. But his attitude is brilliant and he has settled in well.
''United midfields during the years I have been here have included players who get in people's faces and he did that for us tonight.
''I am really pleased for him. He has been a great player for us and it would not surprise me if he wins a lot of the supporters' club player-of-the-year awards because he has been consistent for us throughout this season.''
Houston was understandably happy with a display that left Killie reeling and United spinning back into the top half of the table.
''The big thing for me was getting the three points tonight, regardless of how well we played,'' said Houston. ''After Saturday's poor performance on the ball against St Mirren, though, I have to say the players were excellent. We scored some brilliant goals too.
''We got a penalty through Gary Mackay-Steven taking a chance, although the defender was a wee bit unfortunate but he was the last man. Daly put it away then Paul Dixon, John and Scott Robertson scored good goals.
''In the first half we were too intricate and were trying to play wee one-twos at the edge of the box which Killie defended well. But the second half saw us shoot when we got to the edge of the box and that was the difference.''
Killie gaffer Kenny Shiels, who watched his team go from a win against Rangers on Saturday to this heavy defeat, said: ''We weren't good and Dundee United were very good tonight. They were certainly the better team and fully deserved to beat us.
''I was disappointed in (ref) Craig Thomson because he struggled to keep up with play and was throwing cards about like confetti. But that wasn't why we were beaten because the better team on the pitch won the match. They were very good and fully deserve all the credit tonight.
"The penalty and the sending off were marching points in the game. At the time it was 0-0 although they were still sharper and quicker to the ball than us.
''United are a very good team and we can't get away from that. We didn't create many chances but not many teams are doing that against Dundee United. St Mirren didn't get one on Saturday.''
Photos by Lynne Cameron/PA Wire
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