'We deserve better'. The message has been displayed in black and white on more than one occasion. Once again, Rangers fans are right to state their position and make their voices heard.

They deserve better than to be returning from Cyprus having seen their side embarrassed by an outfit with a fraction of their budget and none of their standing in the game. They deserve better than to be turning up week in week out in Scotland to watch a team that are seven points adrift of Celtic, perhaps one more result from losing another Premiership title. And they certainly deserve better than being served up the same performances and same platitudes from a group of players that have failed all too often and new recruits who are not up to standard.

Rangers supporters deserve better alright. And it must arrive sooner rather than later if the anger is not to turn to apathy. On a lengthy list of concerns for the Ibrox board, that prospect is certainly right up there. No group of fans have been through as much in this generation and continually being let down will eventually see a breaking point reached. The support are scunnered with their club right now, and it is hard to blame them.

READ MORE: Aris Limassol 2-1 Rangers: Instant analysis as Steven Davis' side lose

Of all the figures that the finger of blame can be pointed at, Steven Davis is certainly less accountable than many. The interim manager took responsibility for the abject showing and shock result on Thursday evening but he was not the one who should have been holding his hands up.

There are several culprits in that particular game. There are thousand of casualties, though, and those who made the trip to Limassol were owed far more than an apology after one of the worst results in Rangers’ European history. It was left to Connor Goldson and John Lundstram to convey the messages from the dressing room. In the minutes after Davis held his post-match press conference, two of the more experienced members of the squad spoke in the mixed zone and attempted to put the situation into words. 

Ultimately, they will all be hollow to those who travelled to witness the shambles in person and those who tuned in from home to watch a truly dreadful night for Rangers.

“They are paying a lot of money to come and watch us,” Goldson said in the aftermath of the 2-1 defeat. “A five-and-a-half-hour journey to come here and watch a game of football and we obviously haven't produced. It is obviously expected.

“I want to say sorry, but I don't want to say sorry because I feel that it is all we are doing at the moment. As I said, there is too much talking going on from the club in general. Everyone in the club, we are doing media and we are talking too much, we need to start winning games of football.”

This was not the first time this term that Rangers have let themselves down and let their supporters down. Indeed, it was not the first time that they have been booed off the pitch in the past number of months.

The reaction in the aftermath of the loss to Celtic was the beginning of the end for Michael Beale. That was not the worst of the lot, though, and being on the receiving end of such a visceral condemnation on half-a-dozen occasions should leave the squad under no illusions about just how woeful their efforts have been. This campaign could easily spiral out of control. Defeat to St Mirren on Sunday is unthinkable in terms of their faint Premiership aspirations but there is every chance that Davis will be unable to rouse a performance from a group that is severely short of confidence, quality and character. What present evidence do we have to suggest otherwise?

Many of those that Beale brought to Ibrox this summer have already been written off as a lost cause by a disgruntled, disengaged support. The focus is not solely on the expensive flops, though, and some of the senior members of the squad have serious questions to answer after being complicit in the failure of another managerial reign. Rangers must do their talking on the pitch. That will be easier said than done, however, as supporters turn the screw and the pressure weighs heavily on the shoulders.

“As I said they deserve their opinion,” Goldson said. “They pay a lot of money to come five or six hours to watch us play football. We are not silly, we know how much it costs.

“That's what I say to boys in the team, it is the most passionate group of fans that you will ever see and you start winning games of football and they will be on your side but you don't win games of football, they deserve their opinion.”

Goldson and Davis pinpointed the comedy of defensive errors in the build-up to both Aris goals – scored in either half by Alex Moucketou-Moussounda and Shavy Babicka – and Rangers’ profligacy at the other end of the pitch. When you concede twice in such calamitous circumstances and have no cutting edge to bail yourself out, the outcome is never going to be a positive one. Rangers got what they deserved, and perhaps what had been coming.

Davis played the best hand that he could at the Alphamega Stadium. He has inherited a squad that has been ravaged by injuries and a side that have looked like a team of forlorn individuals rather than a cohesive unit since the first defeat of the campaign at Kilmarnock. The 38-year-old insisted he couldn’t fault the effort of his players. That is the very least that supporters should expect, though, and Davis has precious little time to somehow find the significant improvements that will be needed ahead of a tricky trip to Paisley. The international break will give the Ibrox board the time required to sign off on an appointment and for the players take a long, hard look in the mirror.

“I think what I've seen in terms of the preparation, the effort they're giving,” Davis said. “They're all desperate to turn it around. Obviously, the confidence has been hit, that's natural, I've been there myself as a player. Personally and within the group as well when things aren't going well.

READ MORE: 4 Lads' Aris 2-1 Rangers analysis as Steven Davis's side falter

“We know the expectations of the club and we're not standing up to them at this current minute in time but the most important thing is we do stick together and I believe when we get everybody playing to the ability they've got then we will start to turn.”

Being aware of the standards, the demands and the expectations is one thing. Being able to meet them and thrive under them is quite another and too many players have shown that they cannot do it often enough. The glories of 55 and the run to Seville are very much past ones now.

A new manager will have an impact in terms of style and substance. It is wider personnel change that is required though, and Thursday evening was a harsh reminder of just where Rangers are. The coming days will determine where Rangers are heading. Better is not just a wish or a want, it is a necessity for a support that deserve it.