Rangers lack sex appeal as supporters' song says it all in quest to chase down Celtic and Aberdeen

From the glitz and glamour of the French Riviera to sleepy Sundays in Perthshire. This is the life of Rangers right now but in a week where two wins were required as balm to soothe the pain of drawing at home to Dundee United last weekend, manager Philippe Clement can at least afford himself a satisfied smile.

This was the antithesis to Rangers’ riotous 4-1 victory over Nice on Thursday night in the Europa League. Back on Premiership duty for a lunchtime kick-off against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, both teams played impotently and the winner came just after the hour mark through Jason Holt - although the Saints skipper scored at the wrong end under pressure from James Tavernier. The hosts never looked like fashioning an equaliser.

Tavernier was back at right-back and re-assumed captaincy duties as Dujon Sterling was once again on the treatment table. The experienced defender played well here. Ianis Hagi made his first start for the club since May 2023 and had some flashy moments in a No 10 role, although a silly dive late on when trying to win a penalty late on blotted his copybook.

Jason Holt scores an own goal to give Rangers a 1-0 win. | SNS Group

Both men stung the palms of St Johnstone goalkeeper Josh Rae, who was a busy boy in between the sticks. He did well to save the hero on the Côte d’Azur, Hamza Igamane, who was preferred to Cyriel Dessers in attack, while also making smart saves from Nedim Bajrami and twice from substitute Danilo. At the other end, Rangers keeper Jack Butland was largely a spectator, making one routine save from Makenzie Kirk that was offside in any case.

It was not an attractive football match. Rangers matches away from home domestically are often the case. Quite remarkably for a team of such repute, they have only scored three times on six trips on the road in the league in this season. Clement admitted that the fare on show in Perth would hardly arouse his fanbase.

“It was a well deserved victory,” said Clement. “We had domination of all the game. We only gave one shot on target away. But you need to score more goals to be more sexy and be more of what we want to be for our fans and have more entertainment that way and kill the belief of our opponents. That’s still a working point.

“I still saw a lot of positive things with the squad with players growing and becoming better. It’s important after a big European trip - and a big victory - to react directly domestically and that was the case today. But there are a lot of teams in the world that don’t score three or four goals every week.

“We have also been unlucky in the last few weeks that we have played against goalkeepers who have had the games of their lives.”

Still, Rangers have made ground on Aberdeen in second place after the Dons dropped points once more in Edinburgh, drawing 1-1 at Hearts later in the day. Rangers trail them by seven points but have a game in hand. They are both in action on Wednesday. Aberdeen host Celtic, while at the same time Rangers face Kilmarnock at Ibrox. Something has to give about them and Clement simply must take all three points when Derek McInnes’ team visit them. Given they lost to Killie last time out, that is not a gimme.

Philippe Clement applauds the Rangers fans afterwards. | SNS Group

In comparison, St Johnstone have not scored against Rangers in two years. The visitors’ hairiest moments were when they passed the ball errantly at the back or misjudged long balls. Robin Propper was the biggest sinner but it was explained later that he was injured and ill, hence why Leon Balogun replaced him at the interval. John Souttar strolled through the encounter once more. St Johnstone played some neat football under their new manager Simo Valakari but they weren’t able to open up the Gers. The Finn lamented the Rangers counter-press that suffocated them in their own half.

Even if Rangers’ Premiership away days are becoming increasingly torturous affairs, this was a case of getting the win and heading back down the road. It’s substance over style that is required on the back of European trips and when you are chasing down not one but two teams above you.

Therefore, Rangers will be grateful for their former midfielder Holt slashing the ball high into his own net past the previously unbreakable Rae from close range after Hagi tried to find Tavernier at the far post. The Rangers fans behind that goal serenaded Holt with a song afterwards. Why not? There was little else to shout about.