What’s that noise in the background? Why it’s the whimper of Rangers’ title tilt petering out.
In this game, it’s not over until it’s over, of course, but after this dismal display, which had about as much surging impetus as a canal boat meandering along the Norfolk Broads, Steven Gerrard effectively admitted that, on the basis of this pitiful performance, the gumptionless Gers can forget it.
St Johnstone, meanwhile, were rewarded for their spirit, organisation and general gusto.
Had they trundled back up to Perth with all three points in the luggage hold of the bus, nobody would have had much cause for complaint.
READ MORE: Rangers draw a blank as Saints prove a point
This was a fine day’s work for Tommy Wright’s men as they ended a run of five straight defeats in league and cup.
For Gerrard’s lot, it was a bad day at the office which, rightly, got a ticking off from the boss . . .
NO EXCUSES AS RANGERS FALTER
In football, you don’t blame it on the sunshine or the moonlight but you can blame it on plastic pitches or the referee. You could even blame it on the boogie. There was none of the blame about this, that and the other here, though.
Steven Gerrard arrived for his post-match raking of the coals and was calm, collected but damning in his judgment.
The home truths were spouted and those players who simply didn’t stand up to be counted were deluged by a torrent of cold, driving reality.
There was a lack of ideas and invention while the general absence of energy was a major concern for a side supposedly chasing a title.
A couple of uninspiring lumps up the park to Jermain Defoe led to one colleague suggesting that such a route may have been a decent tactic had they signed Peter Crouch in the window.
Defoe was so starved it was like watching Oliver Twist begging for a bowl of gruel. The fare Rangers dished up was equally as stodgy.
SCOTTISH CUP TIE COULD DEFINE SEASON
Every cloud has a silver lining? This week’s Scottish Cup fifth round replay with Kilmarnock gives Rangers the chance to stay on course for a clump of the shiny stuff at the end of the season.
In that sense, though, Wednesday night’s encounter potentially becomes season-defining. Amid the downbeat aftermath of Saturday’s stalemate, Gerrard lavished praise on the approach employed by his St Johnstone counterpart, Tommy Wright.
In the tactical nip-and-tuck, Steve Clarke will probably adopt a similar style which has brought Kilmarnock considerable success against Rangers during his tenure.
Rangers couldn’t penetrate St Johnstone’s sturdy, well-drilled resolve on Saturday and Kilmarnock’s resistance should be equally as robust.
Rangers’ firepower at the weekend was about as effective as a spud gun on a armour plate. At least they’ll have the heavy artillery of Alfredo Morelos on Wednesday to bolster the offensive . . .
LOAN RANGER FAILS TO MAKE HIS MARK
They say you should never go back. Steven Davis might just be thinking that too.
The experienced campaigner’s return to Ibrox was championed as a canny bit of business, but Saturday’s lack-lustre showing by the Northern Irishman was as ponderous as his snooker-playing namesake sizing up a tricky yellow into the top-right pocket.
When he was glumly substituted after an hour, the muted indifference to his departure said it all. For some of the brassed off legions, a six-month loan deal is already looking like a few months too many.
The one chink of light for those of a Rangers persuasion was midfiedler Glen Kamara’s sprightly debut. It was just a chink of light, though.
WILL WES FODERINGHAM STICK IT OUT AT RANGERS?
How long can you play second fiddle? Foderingham made just his fifth start of the season and he proved his worth with a fine save which prevented
St Johnstone forging ahead through Joe Shaughnessy’s header.
Gerrard was highly complimentary of the English custodian as he stepped in for the suspended Allan McGregor, but what his future holds is as unclear as some of the tactics Rangers employed in their futile attempts to break down the men from Perth.
“Allan is a top, top keeper but all I can do is show my talents when I get the chance,” said Foderingham.
“I won’t put a timescale on it. I’ll look at all options that are available to me and make decisions based on that.
“The manager knows I want to play. But I know Allan is playing well so it’s a difficult situation that I’m in. We’ll wait to the end of the season and review it then.”
SAINTS EARN A POINT AND PROVE ONE TOO
Three defeats to Celtic in rapid fire succession, including a 5-0 trouncing on their previous visit to Glasgow just a week before pitching up Ibrox, could very well have knocked the stuffing out of certain teams. St Johnstone’s stuffing is of the stern variety though.
With Motherwell thundering up behind them in the league, and Hibernian possibly getting the bounce effect of a new manager after the Neil Lennon palaver, St Johnstone’s perch in the top six was vulnerable to an ambush from various quarters.
This point was a timely tonic after a tough stint and underlined, once again, all the admirable qualities that Wright has instilled in his team.
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