Rangers remain six points adrift in the Premiership after a narrow and nervy win over St Mirren at Ibrox. Goals from Mohamed Diomande and Vaclav Cerny, either side of an Alex Gogic equaliser, won it for Philippe Clement’s side. This performance will not silence the Belgian’s doubters.

Rangers couldn’t follow up their improved showing against FCSB on Thursday evening. Now Clement must find a way to raise levels considerably ahead of the eagerly anticipated clash with Aberdeen on Wednesday evening.

Saints deserved more at Ibrox

Stephen Robinson’s side did not earn any points but they merited plenty of plaudits. The visitors started brightly and caused Rangers problems throughout. Inside ten minutes, Toyosi Olusanya got the better of Robin Propper for the first time of the afternoon and should have scored as he pulled a low effort wide of the far post.

Minutes later, Rangers opened the scoring. The sight of the VAR check image on the big screen caused a momentary groan around Ibrox but Diomande would not be denied his first goal of the campaign. The midfielder was in the right place at the right time to convert from close range after Ellery Balcombe saved a powerful drive from Nicolas Raskin.

The lead did not last long. Mark O’Hara swung in a teasing corner and Gogic bulleted home a header. A VAR check was brief and the Buddies were deservedly level inside 25 minutes.

The visitors were the better side. This was abject, uninspiring stuff from Rangers. The offside flag denied Olusanya after the interval but it did not spare Clement’s side from the reaction from the stands. The striker bullied Propper throughout and came close from a tight angle.

The third goal was going to be vital and it was Cerny that scored it, the winger converting from just yards out. The roar was of relief as much as celebration.

Nana fills two defensive roles

It is an unusual sight to see a Rangers team sheet with the captain symbol beside the name of Jack Butland and James Tavernier listed amongst the substitutes. That was the situation on this occasion, however. Supporters have long called for Tavernier to be dropped, but this was more a case of him being rested as Clement looked ahead to a defining and difficult run of fixtures.

The fear amongst many fans is that Tavernier is simply managing his decline this term. That moment was always going to come for the skipper, of course. Rangers need to know who his replacement will be for the long-term. The new contract handed to Dujon Sterling was perhaps an indication, but it was Neraysho Kasanwirjo that got the chance to prove himself at right-back here.

The Dutchman has shown up well when given the opportunity since his arrival at Ibrox and did so again here. He was willing to advance down the flank and almost caught out Balcombe with a strike from a tight angle half an hour in.

When Tavernier was introduced, it was not to take Kasanwirjo’s place. Instead, the 22-year-old moved in one to the right side of the central pairing. The man known as Nana has shown he can perform in this side. It is now a matter of where he operates.

More to come from new midfield trio

Clement expressed his fears over the knee injury sustained by Tom Lawrence when he spoke in the immediate aftermath of the win over FCSB. The midfielder is not expected to be out for the long run but he wasn’t able to feature here and that left Clement with a decision to make over the No.10 position. Having chosen to keep Nedim Bajrami operating from the left, the next call was a simple one as Diomande returned to the starting line-up.

Clement praised the performances of Raskin and Connor Barron in midweek and that pairing deserved the chance to line-up together once again. There has long been a feeling that Diomande would be more effective forward a line with Raskin and Barron behind him and the coming weeks perhaps offer all three a platform to prove that the theory is correct.

Outside of the goal, Diomande did not offer enough as the playmaker. The two behind him were workmanlike and dogged if, at times, slack in possession. It was a midfield that was diligent but not dominant. Raskin was the pick once again, though, and was named Man of the Match. That is two impressive showings in as many matches for the Belgian.

Igamane fails to ignite attack

The position of Cyriel Dessers has been debated and discussed almost as much as that of Tavernier in recent times. Clement backed up his call to rest his skipper with another that saw him change the man leading the line.

On the back of an eye-catching cameo that saw him open his account on Thursday night, Igamane was worthy of a start here. A second minute booking was one of the rare occasions that he was involved in the action, however. After that, the Moroccan was virtually anonymous before he was replaced at the break.

Dessers has been woefully out of form of late. His faults have often been dissected by a critical support and the calls for him to be taken out of the team have grown since his last goals in the win over Dundee over a month ago.

Like Igamane, and like he has done so often this term, Dessers didn’t have the service he needed after the interval. A header was well saved by Balcombe, while a strike on the turn was high over the target. When he took matters into his own hands, he unlocked the St Mirren defence with a direct run and set up Cerny to win it. 

Ibrox directors under fire once again

Supporters took aim at the boardroom from the stands during the defeat to Kilmarnock last week as a banner hit out at the ‘mismanagement’ of the club. Seven days on, the directors were again in the crosshairs as another message was unfurled by the Union Bears. This time, it read ‘Your ineptitude is destroying our club. Time for fans to force change’.

There was not a widespread reaction around the ground to the message. While the majority of supporters will surely be unhappy with events on the park and concerned at the off-field instability, it remains to be seen how many would mobilise in an attempt to make their voice clearer and heard. Another banner read ‘Worrying about thousands while wasting millions’.

Performances and results will always dictate the mood and Clement and his players must hold up their end of the bargain in that regard. The bigger picture cannot be overlooked at the club, however. Changes will come. Will they be enough to satisfy the support?