St Johnstone 1 - 2 Rangers: Ibrox side refuse to be distracted from league by off-field affairs

IN A month when myriad distractions off the pitch threaten to engulf Rangers, Ally McCoist is – so far – making a pretty decent fist of ensuring his team retain the focus on it which is required to maintain their pursuit of silverware.

On the back of their Old Firm defeat and loss of the SPL leadership at Celtic Park on 28 December, January 2012 was always going to present the biggest test yet of McCoist’s fledgling management.

Transfer window speculation over the future of his leading scorer, Nikica Jelavic, in tandem with his bargain basement search for new recruits, places McCoist in what appears to be a hamstrung position as he attempts to deliver Rangers’ fourth consecutive championship.

The resumption today of the First Tier Tribunal into Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ case against the club for a potential tax bill of £49 million brings the financial difficulties being wrestled by owner Craig Whyte back into sharp focus, providing an unenviable backdrop for McCoist’s work.

It remains to be seen what the size and composition of first team squad at his disposal is once the remaining 16 days of January are over, but on the evidence provided so far this month, there is considerable mileage left in Rangers’ title challenge.

Indeed, if they can win their next two games – at home to Aberdeen and Hibs – they will end January back on top of the SPL as Celtic have just one league fixture to play in that period because of their involvement in the League Cup semi-finals.

Saturday’s victory at McDiarmid Park, while not without controversy, was hard earned and fully merited. It was a solid and committed performance from McCoist’s men, in which they generally produced the more effective and threatening football against their well-organised hosts.

Jelavic, with a double which took his goals tally for the campaign to 17, proved the difference between the teams. The Croatian’s poaching instincts saw him plunder the two strikes either side of a Carlos Bocanegra own goal which briefly placed Rangers in danger of losing further ground on Celtic.

Sone Aluko, who played a part in both of Jelavic’s goals, has no doubt about the importance of retaining his team-mate’s services for the rest of the season.

“We really needed him today,” said Aluko. “He’s a striker who can always find you goals at crucial times and that was the case when St Johnstone got it back to 1-1. He was in the right place at the right time and it’s no fluke that he scores so many important goals.

“We showed good character and team spirit today, we never give up. We have players here who have won leagues before, they have that experience. They know there are times when you need to dig in to get the results you need. We haven’t got a massive squad, so it would help if we could get some new faces in this month. But if he [McCoist] doesn’t get players in, I’m confident that this squad still has enough to win the league.”

Rangers were set on their way to victory in circumstances which enraged St Johnstone when a 23rd-minute free-kick was taken quickly by visiting skipper Steven Davis, several yards from where the offence had been committed, according to the Saints players. Davis found Aluko, whose run into the heart of the penalty area culminated in a shot which the predatory Jelavic diverted beyond goalkeeper Peter Enckelman from close range. St Johnstone captain Jody Morris was booked by referee Craig Thomson for the strength of his protest following the goal and the Englishman was unrepentant afterwards.

“I think you saw I was a bit annoyed, we all were,” said Morris. “Obviously, when there is a free kick, you expect it to be taken where the foul was, even if there was a foul, and I wasn’t even sure it was a foul. But we felt aggrieved where it was taken. It was five or six yards away and allowed them to break on us quickly, so we were disappointed.

“To be fair, without going into it, I kind of had the hump with the ref before that. I’d passed the ball and got kicked after I passed the ball away and I won’t go into what he said to me, but I wasn’t happy with it.

“Listen, I’m not knocking Steve Davis. Fair play to him, I would do the same if I had a chance to take a quick free-kick, but you have got to expect the ref to make him take it where the foul was committed.”

Enckelman saved well from Jelavic, and Dorin Goian saw a header cleared off the line by David Robertson as Rangers generally dominated, but their failure to increase their lead was punished in the 67th minute when Saints levelled.

Marcus Haber, whose aerial prowess caused the Rangers defence concern throughout, rose to meet a Liam Craig cross and his header struck the chest of Bocanegra to beat the helpless Neil Alexander.

Robertson missed a great chance to snatch an unlikely lead for Saints just a minute later, swiping a first-time shot wide from Fran Sandaza’s pass, and Rangers made the most of that reprieve by grabbing their 81st-minute winner.

Murray Davidson’s attempt to clear an Aluko free-kick merely diverted the ball towards his own goal and after Enckelman managed to divert the ball against the crossbar, Jelavic reacted quickest to score from close range.

Much of the post-match discussion centred on Sandaza, with St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas repeating his criticism of Rangers’ failed attempt to sign the Spanish striker on a pre-contract agreement. But according to Morris, his team-mate finds himself in an ideal situation.

“What pressure was Fran under?” said Morris. “He’s in the best position he could be. He doesn’t want to commit to Rangers yet, so he’s got to keep playing well to maybe nick another move elsewhere. It’s no secret that if you are going to stay in Scotland and you have a chance to sign for one of the Old Firm, then you ain’t going to stay at a small club like St Johnstone.”