The new gaffer did not enjoy the best of starts to his managerial reign when his side were beaten by Hibs at Easter Road in his first game in charge but he would have been delighted with his side’s commitment against the Gers.
McLeish brought Brewster back to Scottish football when he signed the towering hitman for Hibernian from Greek side Ionikos in 1996 and the experience he gained from working under Big Eck at Easter Road is sure to stand him in good stead.
The Rangers connection does not finish there as Brewster has also taken highly-rated Murray Park youth coach Thompson to be his trusted right-hand man.
Alex McLeish made three changes to the side that started in Alkmaar with Steven Smith, Strephen Huighes and Hamed Namouchi replacing Michael Ball, Peter Lovenkrands and Alex Rae.
19 year-old left-back Smith has been impressive form for Rangers youth teams and started positively with a surging run down the left after only two minutes but his cross was well cleared by the Caley Thistle defence.
Rangers, however, had gone a goal down in their previous two matches and Caley Thistle stunned the travelling Rangers support by taking a shock lead after only 3 minutes.
Richie Hart picked the ball up on the right and laid the ball in to the path of Juanjo who whipped in a superb cross to Graham Bayne who volleyed the ball past Klos.
The early set-back seemed to spark Rangers in to life and Croatian striker Dado Prso almost equalised four minutes later when he took the ball past three defenders but his shot was well saved by Thistle keeper Mark Brown.
The Light Blues continued to push forward and Stephen Hughes was next to try his luck when he picked the ball up 20 yards from goal and unleashed a fierce right-foot shot which flew across the goal and beyond the post.
Juanjo and Richard Hart, in particular, were a constant threat in the early stages and the Gers defence struggled to deal with their excellent deliveries into the box.
Fernando Ricksen gradually started to influence the game and the midfielder played a an excellent long-ball to Prso who hit a tame shot in to the arms of Brown from 20 yards.
With the game moving frantically from end to end, Thistle almost doubled their lead on 24 minutes when Stuart Golabek picked the ball up outside the 18 yard box and hit a low shot which Stefan Klos did well to palm around his left-hand post.
In what was a very frustrating opening half-hour to the game for the Gers, Hamed Namouchi found himself in the referee’s notebook when he was given the first yellow card of the match for a high, two-footed tackle on Spanish winger Juanjo.
Things then went from bad to worse when Alex McLeish was forced to make his first substitution on 30 minutes after Jean-Alain Boumsong appeared to injure his thigh after jumping to win a header in the box.
The French defender immediately signalled to the dug-out and was replaced by Alex Rae who moved in to the centre of midfield with Bob Malcolm going back in to defence alongside Marvin Andrews.
The match continued to be played at a ferocious tempo and Rangers were unable to grab an equaliser before half-time, although Prso did have a chance three minutes before the break.
Namouchi, who had a quiet opening 45 minutes, supplied a teasing cross in to the six-yard box but the towering hit-man could not get the power behind his header and the ball fell safely in to the Brown’s hands.
Alex McLeish made his second change of the match when 18-year-old Bob Davidson replaced Namouchi uring the break.
The youngster, making only his second appearance for the Gers, joined Prso in attack with Novo moving out on to the left-wing.
Rangers started the second-half positively and the manager’s decision proved to be inspired when Prso scored his tenth goal of the season on 51 minutes.
Ricksen played the ball to Hughes who supplied an inch-perfect pass to Prso who had made a run behind the Thistle defence.The striker steadied himself before placing the ball inside Brown’s near post.
The goal seemed to take the wind out of Thistle and Davidson almost scored his first goal for the top team two minutes later when he headed a Khizanishvili cross over the bar.
Prso always looked Rangers’ most dangerous player throughout the match and he had yet another chance on 58 minutes when the ball broke to him 18 yards from goal but he was falling as he hit his shot and the ball flew over the bar.
Although Rangers started the second half positively Caley Thistle continued to create goalscoring opportunities, the best coming on 67 minutes when Juanjo found Liam Keogh and Klos did well to stop his shot with his left leg.
Rangers moved straight up the pitch and looked like they could have been awarded a penalty when Malcolm found Prso with a perfect pass.
The striker seemed to be nudged in the back just as he was about to unleash his shot but the referee ignored his pleas, leaving Prso hiiting the turf in frustration.
Rangers were awarded a free-kick from with 15 minutes remaining and Thistle’s Graham Bayne was booked for running out from the wall before the referee’s whistle.
Ricksen again hit the re-take but his 20 yard effort cannoned of the wall and out of play.
Alex McLeish urged his player’s forward in the final minutes of the match but Rangers were unable to snatch a late winner.
Nacho Novo would, however, have been disappointed not to have handed his side all three points when Prso found him in the box but he shot straight at the keeper .
CALEY THISTLE: Brown, Tokely, Golabek, Dods, McBain, Bayne (Hastings 64), Hart (Wilson 82), Juanjo (Prunty 90), Duncan, Munro, Keogh
Subs Not Used: Fraser, McCaffrey, Wilson, Proctor, Fox
Bookings: Bayne (75), Hart (81)
RANGERS: Klos (c), Ricksen, Boumsong (Rae 30), Andrews, Prso, Novo, Malcolm, Khizanishvili, Hughes, Namouchi (Davidson 46), S. Smith
Subs Not Used: G. Smith, Mladenovic, Ball, Hutton, Fetai
Bookings: Namouchi (29)
Referee: Craig Thompson
Attendance: 6, 543