Ange Postecoglou doesn't seem to be prone to introspection, rarely wallowing in self-doubt, but perhaps, just maybe, a small part of the Tottenham manager wishes he had never left Glasgow. I don't know.
Things were much simpler when Australian players were collecting trophies during their Celtic days. At the time, Engiball was more than just entertaining, he was quite effective, and he took pleasure in putting the Rangers in their place.
Such old convictions are cruel as manager Postecoglou has failed to turn back time here and Spurs' current squad will return to the airport with a record of just one win from their last eight games. It looked like a chimera.
In fact, the draw was Rangers' lowest result in the Battle of Britain, which was punctuated by a soundtrack featuring a rendition of 'Morning Sucked' aimed at Postecoglou's ears.
It was a bitterly cold night, with temperatures hovering around freezing on Clyde, but Tottenham's side saw Philippe Clement's side improve their chances of a direct place in the knockout stages of the Europa League by leaving the guests behind. There is nothing that can match the inner chill that fans must have felt. We are considering a playoff draw after the final two games of the early stages in January.
Perhaps everyone underestimated the Rangers side, who are currently third in the Scottish Premiership. After all, they started unbeaten in their last eight games, when Nedim Bajrami pulled off the excellent Fraser Foster with a fine save that put the former Celtic goalkeeper's fingertips between the ball and the top corner at Tottenham. It was easy to understand why.
By then Timo Werner was overwhelmed with every touch and Rangers dominated with a blisteringly fast counterattack. At times Tottenham's defense was in very dangerous situations and Forster had to make smart saves from Wenceslas. In front of Bajrami, Černý called for Jefte's wonderful inviting cross from close range, but for some reason it didn't connect.
The Tottenham manager had to take his first night off since returning to Govan after falling to 11th in the Premier League and sparking considerable debate over the viability of the 'Enziball' and his job security. On the contrary, he seemed to be feeling stressed.
Despite his previous success at Celtic, Postecoglou has only won one of the four visits he has made to Ibrox with his old employers, with Archie Gray significantly absent from the defense. There would have been no need to move him out of position as an emergency centre-half. , injured Micky van de Ven.
It was clear that the Grays were struggling to cope with Rangers' quick movement on the break as Forster again made a fine save with his feet from Cerny. It didn't help that visitors treated the ball like a harmful object. With the exception of the efficient Yves Bissouma, they lost the ball with alarming frequency as Clement's players became obsessed with closing down opponents at a ferocious high tempo, leaving James Maddison and others stardust in the flow of the game. I didn't have time to sprinkle it on.
Rangers took a deserved lead early in the second half. It started with a deep, lofted cross from James Tavernier and ended with a great left-footed shot from Hamza Igamane that left Forster completely helpless and Pedro Polo no doubt realized how easily Igamane got past him. I looked back.
At least it helped rejuvenate Spurs, with Jack Butland eventually making some important saves beckoning for an equalizing goal. It finally came, as Dominic Solanke and Maddison belatedly showed equal skill in dismantling the home rearguard, before substitute Dejan Kulusevski fired a deceptive left-footed finish beyond Butland's reach. Ta.
A fine block from Tavernier then denied another substitute Solanke a goal, but Forster's brilliance only led to more goals as Cyriel Dessers prevented a late home winner. I was able to do it.
