St Mirren 1 Rangers 1
It says a lot about how the expectations have fallen at Rangers who are scrambling to claim a late point in Paisley, almost felt like a decent result for Russell Martin.
His team could have losed this fairly easily. After last week's debacle against Club Brugge in the Champions League, many expected them to lose to St. Mirren.
Second best everywhere on the entire field for a large part of the competition, it cost a late equalizer of replacement findlay Curtis to save Martin's bloost.
It could not save him from an unwanted monument, because he became the first Rangers -Baas since Graeme Souness in 1989 to win none of the first three games at the start of a season.
The idea that Martin is just the wrong manager in the wrong film becomes more difficult to expel with every passing week.
With Celtic in Ibrox on Sunday, a bad start to the campaign threatens to become a full crisis. Fans again released their anger full -time.
Against a physical and aggressive holy side that she was ruthless, this always seemed like it could be an uncomfortable afternoon for Rangers.
For John Souttar and the rest of the backline, in an attempt to handle the monstrous strike duo of Jonah Ayunga and Mikael Mandron probably all attraction of the treatment of root canal.
Rangers from their side are toothless. So much was clear when Martin called a team without a recognized striker.
Thelo Aasgaard was asked to work like a false nine, with Danilo on the couch and Cyriel Dessers Fit still not enough to be in the team.
The fact that Martin would rather play without a rush than Danilo is a damn charge against how he views the Brazilian, underlining the need for new signing sessions.
With Hamza Igamane apparently unsuitable, or not willing to come as a replacement in the second half, there seemed to be a different opinions in a bloated Rangers team that really needs to be deposited.
The result Rangers left six points behind Beltic only three games in the Premiership campaign, in which the old sturdy clash at Ibrox already looked crucial.
Not only in terms of the ambitions of Rangers to mount a title challenge, but also Martin's prospects to turn this around.
This was another competition that raised more questions than answers. Mad and missing creation with the ball, there is no tangible sign of progress in the team.
Fans can apologize for a few teething problems if there were some positive signs. But there is nothing. No real hope to hold. Seeing how Rangers beat the ball at the back is the definition of possession because of the possession.
There is no offensive thrust or pace for their game. From the touchline, Martin urged his players to move the ball faster, but rarely flourished.
St Mirren Boss Robinson mentioned an unchanged team on the back of a penalty shootout victory over Harten in the Premier Sports Cup.
Saints wanted to build on their good form against last season rangers when they came up with an unbeaten run of three games against the Ibrox side.
Rangers arrived in Paisley battered and bruised from defeat to Bruges, and wanted to improve a poor road record so that they won only eight league games on the road last season.
Martin had spoken in the structure about his appreciation that the patience was shown by the American owners of the club. In a broadcast interview prior to the kick-off, he had also refuted the suggestion that this was a 'must-win' match.
If that was an attempt to illuminate the pressure on his players, it didn't work. Rangers started badly, just as they had done against the Belgians.
Souttar continued to lead the team in the absence of James Tavernier and was pronounced early by Ayunga.
That set the tone. The shape of Souttar has been bad and he looks slow, cumbersome and weak. Captain looks this side, speaks of a striking lack of leadership in the team.
Nico Raskin was booked for an error, after Joe Rothwell had given away the ball cheaply in midfield, while Rangers floated to get a grip in the middle of the field.
St Mirren was physically dominant and sharper for every second ball. They could have taken the lead halfway through the first half when Mandron connected to a Killian Phillips Cross on the rear pole within a few centimeters.
Clear moments for Rangers there were little in between. Oliver Antman and Djidi Gassama both had efforts on goal while they were rising their wings.
Jayden Meghoma went left on the overlap and supplied a decent ball in the box, but Lyall Cameron's shot flew over the bar.
Rangers fell 33 minutes behind when St Mirren was rewarded for an entrepreneurial start.
Mandron found a simple ball from the back in hectare space in behind midfield of Rangers. He turned away from Raskin, pierced the backline to release Ayunga on goal. Souttar never catches him, although he was not helped through the center-back partner Emmy Fernandez who was miles out of position.
Ayunga drilled the ball past Jack Butland. In the room of two steps, the ball had gone from St Mirren's box to being at the back of the Rangers -net.
Martin's side was so wide open that the belief believed. St Mirren's Front Two terrorized visitors, with Ayunga who devoured the young Meghoma deep in the Rangers half to win possession.
Meghoma and Antman were replaced during the break. Danilo and Mikey Moore both came to see a change in shape
Rangers improved for a short period, but lost their shape and structure too easily. It became an incoherent display with a touch of despair.
They just made nothing clear. Coupled with a loan movement for Bojan Miovski, you wonder if the ex-Aberdeen striker would make some difference in this team.
Saints Defender Alex Gogic had a great chance to bring the score to 70 minutes with 2-0, just to blow a shot over the bar after a Mandron Knockdown.
Rangers would eventually find a spark two minutes after Curtis came off the bank.
After the ball broke with him from a corner on the edge of the box, he hit a low finish in the bottom corner past Shamal George.
Sixty seconds later he made it almost two, George tipped his powerful shot over the bar. For the first time, Saints fluctuated as well as Rangers gathered.
The hosts had a fantastic opportunity to reclaim the lead when a Gogic header of a free kick butland forced into a full-stretch save.
In the end, Rangers hardly earned a point, while St Mirren will have the feeling that it was probably a missed opportunity to claim all three.