Just when you think that Rangers have hit rock bottom, they find another level to drop to and look more like a team who should be looking over their shoulder, rather than trying to catch Celtic.
There is change afoot in the summer and it is safe to say that the current Rangers squad will look a lot different when the transfer window shuts.
Responsible for the rebuild will be newly appointed sporting director Kevin Thelwell, who will be hoping that the takeover by the San Francisco 49ers is completed in May.
The outgoing board has looked for transfer guarantees and the prospective new owners will need to stick to their word if repeat performances like the one in Paisley are to be a thing of the past.
Rangers are a soft target this season with Liam Kelly clearly fuming at twice losing the lead against St Mirren and hinting that the post-match analysis won’t be kind to a few of his teammates.
Liam Kelly fumes at Rangers teammates after latest struggle
Speaking after the 2-2 draw, Kelly was asked about the comments that Rangers manager Barry Ferguson made about players not following instructions, and also about a crisis of confidence:
“I would never blame any individual after a game because, like I say, everybody makes mistakes. But no, it’s not even that because we get told when they like to push up, can we play in behind them?
“We did that a few times in the first half, obviously got a couple of good chances [as a result]. Listen, it’s the same all the time, isn’t it? It’s the same story again. So, I’m not going to sit here and bore anybody.
“We weren’t good enough, we didn’t deserve to win the game. We could’ve scored more goals, so could they. But again, nowhere near good enough for what our fans expect and the level that’s needed for this club.”
Is it all on the players?
One of Ferguson’s problems is that he keeps playing the same players who keep making the same mistakes.
There is no point looking for more control and picking Cyriel Dessers.
There is no point playing a 3-5-2 formation and relying on wing-backs to provide the width, but they barely cross the half-way line.
Kelly clearly knows who the guilty players are and so will Ferguson.
If players haven’t been following instructions, the first question has to be, did they actually understand them in the first place?
If they did, but chose not to follow them, they should be dropped.
It’s an annoying situation, however, it is an easy one to fix.
