NO wonder there were perplexed looks among the punters who traipsed out of Ibrox on Tuesday night. How could Ally McCoist's unconvincing league outfit win three matches against top flight opposition last season - Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup, and Inverness and this very same St Johnstone in the League Cup - while Mark Warburton's all conquering outfit this year, peerless in their first seven championship encounters, suddenly tumble at their first exposure to Ladbrokes Premiership opponents? While there are pitfalls in reading too much into one particular result, the Englishman and his team went off into the night swearing to learn the lessons from their first setback of the season but what exactly are they?
1. There IS a gap between the general standard of Premiership and Championship play
THE higher the level of football, the quicker the speed of thought and the more lapses of concentration are punished. St Johnstone's victory at Ibrox was a case in point. Switch off at a corner the way Rangers did in the lead-up to the second goal of the night on Tuesday against most Championship opponents, and the ball is unlikely to end up nestling in the corner of your net. Warburton called it a slice of bad luck but with Simon Lappin's left foot around it was hardly a surprising turn of events, even if it didn't pan out quite so well on the training ground. "We did it once in training and it didn't go too well," said Lappin. "But we thought it would be all right on the night so we just left it till then. I've hit one or two like that but it was nice to get that one."
2. Rangers players are overrated in comparison with many Premiership sides
ST JOHNSTONE are the seventh best side in Scotland on current form but they came to Govan with a starting line-up which included seven former Scotland Under-21 internationals, a Republic of Ireland Under-21 international and a current Northern Ireland goalkeeper. Dave McKay and Chris Millar might not have represented their country but both played a key organisational role, while in the form of Michael O'Halloran the Saints could have a future Scotland international on their hands. While comfortably good enough in the Championship thus far, this Rangers side can expect to be comprehensively refurbished before they get to tackle the top flight. While James Tavernier is a stand-out, Andy Halliday and Lee Wallace have looked good and the likes of Nathan Oduwa and Gedion Zelalem may yet develop into elite performers, the notion that St Johnstone's players should have had an inferiority complex is fanciful.
3. Rangers' 4-1-2-3 shape can be targeted
BRAD Gilbert, the former coach of tennis stars Andre Agassi and Andy Murray, preaches the process of turning an opponent's biggest strength into their biggest weakness and it was a bit like that for Tommy Wright on Tuesday. Rather than funnel back in awe at the Ibrox side's attack-minded full backs, the Northern Irishman employed O'Halloran alongside Steven MacLean up front, knowing that their willingness to bomb forward would in fact leave centre half pairing of Danny Wilson and Rob Kiernan exposed. While both have strolled through most Championship encounters, neither is blessed with the pace to cope with O'Halloran, who Wright feels may be the quickest player in the Scottish domestic game. The good news for Warburton is that no-one else has a player as quick as the former Bolton winger, but the Ibrox side can expect similar tactics from now on. A bit like Pep Guardiola at Barcelona or even Ronny Deila at Celtic, Warburton has a stubborn faith in his system but it will be instructive to see if he alters his principles the next time top flight opposition come into view.
4. Michael O'Halloran is a future star
THE potential of the 24-year-old O'Halloran has long been discussed. This kid who left Celtic (his father Michael is the intermediate academy manager at Parkhead) for Bolton played twice in the Wanderers first team under Owen Coyle and was included in Scotland Under-21 sides by Billy Stark. After loan spells at Sheffield United, Carlisle United and Tranmere, it is only since coming to Perth that his game has started coming together. Gordon Strachan is always looking for new options for his three players behind the front man and scouted him recently. Few players in Scotland could demonstrate the pace on the burst and trickery, shown early on in a 50-yard break-out from defence which took him past four men, even if it ultimately led to nothing. "Mikey can go as far as he wants," said Lappin. "That is down to Mikey, because he has all the attributes. He is lightning quick but he is more than just that. He is progressing, he is still young enough, and is a fantastic pro who is always looking after himself. He has everything going for him."
5. Tommy Wright is under-rated
THIS was another feather in the cap of the wily Wright, who already has one cup under his belt in Scottish football. The template has now been set for another successful season in Perth. "I think the manager is under-rated and I think the club as a whole is sometimes underestimated," said Lappin. "But that suits us fine, we are happy to go under the radar. We won't bother too much about what is said outside our dressing room. Regardless of what competition, the bare minimum is to work as hard as that. We have a conscientious group of lads and that is what we are all about."
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