Harangued by the home support from the minute he stepped into Dens Park for leaving last summer for a life less ordinary, the Spaniard took only 12 minutes after appearing as a second-half substitute to get his own back, netting a double that sent Rangers on their way to their first SPL away win of the season.
Chasing their third consecutive victory in the space of a hectic week, Rangers had made two changes to the side that defeated Aberdeen in mid-week.
At the back Marvin Andrews came in for Craig Moore while Stephen Hughes replaced Gregory Vignal, with Paolo Vanoli switching to left-back.
The recent proliferation of Sunday fixtures meant McLeish’s men went into this clash trailing Celtic by eight points but if they were anxious to make sure they closed the gap on their old rivals there was no sign of it in the early lacklustre stages of this encounter.
It took more than 10 minutes for either side to register an effort on target when Dundee’s Glenn Larsen shot high over Stefan Klos’ bar, the first of a handful of half-chances for the home side.
It was Rangers, however, who were by far the dominant force in the opening period, peppering Derek Soutar’s goal with a multitude of shots and crosses.
More often that not, the stout figure of Bobby Mann was to be found blocking the route to goal, in one incident diving to deny Shota Arveladze before rising to deflect the Georgian’s follow-up attempt as well.
Hughes was making the most of his recall to the side, pushing forward from left midfield on a regular basis to support the forwards and it was the former Scotland under-21 midfielder who enjoyed Rangers’ best opportunities of the first half.
Just after the half-hour mark he shot narrowly wide of target from Bob Malcolm’s lay-off before heading Steven Thompson’s cross the wrong side of Soutar’s post minutes before the break.
With Jean-Alain Boumsong, Malcolm and Chris Burke also trying their luck on goal it was perhaps surprising that Rangers were unable to make the breakthrough before the interval.
The home side looked lively on the counter attack and McLeish will no doubt have questioned why, on separate occasions, first Iain Anderson and then Brent Sancho were allowed to amble unchallenged through to the edge of the box.
The main talking points though of the first half surrounded Andrews. Twice the home fans howled for a penalty after the robust Trinidadian thundered into meaty challenges on first Sancho and then Larsen but referee Stuart Dougal waved their claims away.
Andrews also nearly inadvertently created the opener for Dundee after 27 minutes when he blocked a shot from Larsen only for the ball to ricochet off the Norwegian before clunking the outside of Klos’ post.
It was the closest either side came to opening the scoring in a disappointing first half and Andrews was involved again in the opening chance off the second period, leaping to thunder in a header from Burke’s corner that was cleared off the line.
Ricksen was the next to threaten for the Light Blues as he fastened on to a loose ball from a Burke corner only for his shot to be blocked just short of the goal line.
McLeish sent on Peter Lovenkrands and then Novo to try to work an opening, with the former Dundee man predictably booed by the bulk of the home support with every touch.
The Spaniard’s first involvement was to be unceremoniously dumped on his backside following a ferocious tackle by Sancho but Novo was soon to gain sweet revenge.
Vignal – a half-time replacement for the injured Vanoli – swung in a terrific deep cross that Burke nodded back for Novo to prod over the line from a matter of yards.
It had taken 347 minutes for Rangers to get their first away goal of the league campaign but they only had to wait three minutes for number two.
Burke was again the architect with a cute cutback that Novo swept past Soutar with a crisp right-foot shot to seal the victory.
RANGERS (4-4-2): 1 Klos; 15 Khizanishvili, 4 Boumsong, 5 Andrews, 16 Vanoli (Vignal 46); 17 Burke, 2 Ricksen, 12 Malcolm, 27 Hughes (Lovenkrands 58); 7 Arveladze (Novo 65), 19 Thompson
Subs not used: Smith, McLean, McCormack, Davidson
Booked: Khizanishvili (22)
DUNDEE (4-4-2): 1 Soutar; 17 Macdonald, 3 Sancho, 5 Mann, 16 Hernandez; 14 Barrett (Brady 85), 2 Smith, 8 Fotheringham, 11 Anderson; 7 Larsen, 10 Sutton
Subs not used: Jack, Hutchinson, McNally, Hegarty
Booked: Smith (43)
Rangers’ Man of the Match: Nacho Novo