A great club to be at when things are going well and a difficult one to play for when things are going badly. Leon Balogun knows the reality of the old Rangers saying better than most.

At 36, the defender has been through it all in the game. The demands of an expectant and loyal support do not come as a surprise to Balogun these days. Indeed, he has been there and seen it throughout his years for club and country.

Balogun felt the praise and plaudits that were bestowed on Steven Gerrard’s squad as heroes were made during the historic 55 campaign. Recent times have, of course, been more difficult and the Michael Beale era ended in stinging comment and fierce criticism last term. A year on, Philippe Clement is fighting to avoid suffering an early exit in similar circumstances.

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The victory over Hearts on Sunday did little to aid the Belgian’s cause. It was another uninspiring occasion where the result papered over the cracks in terms of the performance. Come the final whistle, there was a feeling of relief that the game had been won and another that it was over and no longer had to be endured.

Clement admitted post-match that his side had made the home crowd nervous due to their game management as Hearts threatened to leave Rangers double digits adrift of Celtic and Aberdeen. That fate did not befall Clement’s side in the end. Balogun is fully cognisant of the wider mood. He understands, too, what needs to happen to change it.

"I mean, it's my fourth season at the club, I know what it can be like, and you just have to get on with it,” Balogun said. “To be very fair and to be very honest, there are moments probably where you think ‘okay, that's a bit unreasonable’. But it's just the club.

"You have to put that weight on your shoulders as soon as you put on the shirt and deal with it. And obviously it can have an impact every now and then, or sometimes for some players, more than others, especially if they're a bit younger, if they're not used to it.

"But like I said, you have to get on with it and make sure you dig in and turn the momentum around, which is always something. If you do then score a goal, if you do take control, you get the opposite of the fans, of the support, and that's probably something that we need to ignite even more."

The Ibrox crowd have lurched between anger and apathy at times this term as concerns have mounted about where Rangers are and where they are heading. At a time when many have lost faith in those in the dugout, they cannot turn to the boardroom for hope of a brighter future.

A fan base that rightly believed the troubled days were behind them when 55 was lifted and a European final was reached now find themselves questioning the direction of their club once again. Standards on the pitch and standards off the pitch cannot be allowed to drop further.

"No disrespect to our supporters, but no,” Balogun said when asked if the Ibrox expectations took him time to become accustomed to. “And I said this not too long ago. I don't know who to but playing for the Nigerian national team actually prepared me because, believe me or not, they probably have just as much expectation as our supporters.

"Let me put one out there. I was at Rangers at the time. We played against Sierra Leone. We were winning 4-1, good for me, as I came off after 60, and we ended the game 4-4. And on the way back to the hotel, some of the security stuff said 'don't sit next to the windows'. Some players closed the curtains already.

"And then five minutes into the drive, you turn the corner, and they threw stones at the at the bus, our own fans. So I guess that kind of prepared me. The expectation of a Nigeria was always really, really high. So I've met something like it before, and I think that helped me personally."

Clement again made reference to the ‘young squad’ that he is working with as he addressed the issues that saw Rangers fail to capitalise on an early opener from Cyriel Dessers. For many, that perspective from the manager could be seen as him clutching at straws.

Balogun namechecked captain James Tavernier and the likes of Jack Butland and Nicolas Raskin when asked if the players were showing the required character at present. Mistakes will happen, of course. The defender is sure, though, that the squad have bought into what Clement is attempting to achieve at Ibrox.

"Yeah, I think the manager does quite a good job of always making us aware as well,” Balogun said when asked about his role as one of the experienced members of the squad. "But again, if I think back, well, I'm ancient, so like 15/16, years, even 12/13, years, then it's something you need to grow into.

“If you're not used to it, also with the expectation that is there in terms of having to win every game. It's not always easy, but I think overall, there's a great effort by the manager, and you can only repeat it, and there's a time where a player just has to step up and deal with it.

"Like I said before, it's not always easy. I can't lie even if it's a game where we are really far off it. Then sometimes you, even myself. I'm like ‘Oh, wow, that's not great.’ It's sticky right now. But like I said in the end, I can only repeat myself. You have to get on with it and change the momentum."

The three games, across three competitions, against Motherwell, Olympiacos and Hearts have encapsulated the good, the bad and the ugly of this Rangers side. The feelgood factor from the Europa League draw did not last long and the home crowded headed for the exits on Sunday with more questions than answers about Clement and his team.

Clement admitted there were more downs than ups as Rangers held on and avoided an evisceration from the stands. The result will always be the most important thing for Rangers but there are significant concerns about their style and their substance right now.

"We made it a lot harder than it should be,” Balogun said. “I think we had enough moments overall in this game to really take control. And, yeah, have a dominant display. But I think overall, we have been quite wasteful with those moments that we then could capitalize on.

"We denied ourselves basically, of creating really good chances. I thought the first half actually we were quite good. Felt good on the pitch as well. Second half, obviously, I don't think we should defend as much as we did in the end, but to pick out some positives there, I mean, not everything was bad, obviously, but you don't want to play a second half like this, if you start the game like that.

"But in the end, we still got the win. We've got a clean sheet, which is for defensive player is always a good thing. Are there things to criticise and to improve based on the second half? 100 per cent.”