IBROX FLOPS SPOIL THEIR OWN PARTY
PROMOTION f rom the Championship may yet prove beyond them. But this Rangers team is expert at one thing. When it comes to deflating their own supporters, they remain in a class of their own.
The euphoric hope of a brighter future generated by Dave King and his allies emphatically completing their boardroom takeover bumped straight into the ugly reality of the present on Saturday afternoon.
Like every other Rangers fan, King, Paul Murray and John Gilligan already knew there had to be root-and-branch reform of the footballing side of the business they now control.
There was no need for the current players to deliver this reminder of their painful inadequacies to the new inhabitants of the directors’ box. But they did so anyway.
Yes, conditions at Central Park were atrocious. The pitch looked as though the stock cars had been racing on it, rather than around it, and the wind was eye-wateringly strong.
But good teams, at whatever level, find a way to win. And Rangers were unable to do so against opponents who had shipped 10 to Hearts the previous weekend.
A clear-out is both inevitable and essential. A dozen of the Ibrox squad are out of contract in the summer. Eight of them featured at some stage here. Let’s just be charitable and say they would not have had King reaching for renewal forms.
This, however, is t he group Rangers are stuck with until the end of the season. King’s hope is that they might be galvanised by the ‘energy’ of the expected full house against Queen of the South at Ibrox tomorrow evening, as supporters flock to give their financial backing to the new regime.
The flip side is that victory for the fourth-placed Dumfries side would pull them to within three points of their hosts. Dropping out of the play-off positions is surely unthinkable but Rangers now have only one win from their past six outings.
The future of reluctant caretaker Kenny McDowall is likely to become clearer within the next week and could present an early dilemma for King and his colleagues.
Speaking in a radio interview prior to kick-off in Fife, the South Africabased businessman hinted that McDowall may well see out the season as they carefully ponder a new permanent manager.
‘I think Kenny is committed to doing that,’ said King. ‘I think it is a decision that has to be looked at over the next little period. It would be my expectation that is probably the case.
‘But we would have to check and see how he feels about that. There cannot be a rush. This rebuilding programme has to be very carefully thought out and we have to get the right people in. We cannot be too slack in doing it but we must not rush into it either.’
The long-term thinking is sensible in that it will likely be far easier to land a preferred target in the summer rather than when the season is drawing towards a climax.
For example, the partnership of Mark Warburton and ex-Ibrox skipper David Weir will leave Brentford at the end of their current promotion campaign in the English Championship.
That duo are thought to be among the options under discussion, with Murray also admitting at the weekend that they had already been approached by a number of managers keen to land the job.
However, as Saturday again showed, there is also a danger of this season sliding away altogether. For all the fresh optimism around Ibrox, the directors can hardly pull on tracksuits and take the team.
McDowall picked up the reins from Ally McCoist in trying circumstances — before handing in his own notice in January — but results have continued to decline in dismal fashion.
King insists promotion this season is not vital to their wider plans, yet the board will have to weigh up whether even an i nterim appointment might help spark a surge through the play-offs.
As he suffered t hrough t he non-event at Central Park, King may also have been mentally upping the estimated £10million to be spent on the squad.
Rangers had the gale at their backs in the first half but failed to utilise it. Kenny Miller had a couple of shots narrowly off target before Lee McCulloch hit the bar from a Nicky Law corner. After t he break, substitute Jon Daly and Marius Zaliukas saw headed chances pass them by.
Cowdenbeath goalkeeper Robbie Thomson had been t he most over- worked man i n Scottish football the previous weekend but ended this game without having made a serious save.
Not unreasonably given what had unfolded at Tynecastle seven days before, Zaliukas was asked whether there was a twinge of embarrassment among the Rangers players at not being able to record a victory to launch a new era.
‘Why should we be embarrassed?’ asked Zaliukas, appearing affronted.
‘Because they lost 10-0? We’re not embarrassed because this was a different story, playing here instead of Tynecastle. What do you mean? Conditions played a big part today.
‘Obviously, we can play better. The positive thing was we got a clean sheet, although we didn’t score. We will take it from there.’
Rangers lost 2-0 when they last faced Queen of the South and it will require a huge hike in standards if they are to overcome one of their main play- off rivals. That such a statement can be made speaks volumes for the underachievement of their season to date.
Zaliukas admitted the players now had to respond as fans come flooding back to Ibrox, following the rancour directed at the previous board.
Tomorrow night’s game is also expected to mark the symbolic return of John Greig to the stadium. The club legend has been invited by King to be guest of honour.
‘It’s important for everyone that we get a full house at Ibrox,’ said Zaliukas. ‘I think we need a lift. It should be a special atmosphere. Obviously, we hear about what has happened off the pitch but we, as players, just try to win every game.
‘It is our job to play good football and we are trying to do that. It will be a very tough game and three points will be good for us.’