It was a dismal display from Dick Advocaat’s men who fell behind early on to a Keigan Parker penalty, drew level through Kenny Miller but failed to take advantage of that and went down to a Mohammed Sylla strike.
Rangers fly out to Austria tomorrow to take on Sturm Graz in a vital Champions League match but they will have to vastly improve on this showing if they are to achieve their ambition of reaching the second phase of that competition.
There were a few surprises in Advocaat’s starting line-up which took to the McDiarmid Park turf in their change kit of white top and red shorts.
Former Polish international Dariusz Adamczuk made his first appearance in TEN months and Kenny Miller was handed his first ever competitive start, giving him the chance to establish a regular first team place.
Jesper Chriistiansen was in the stand following his signing from OB Odense yesterday but the Dane could only watch on as he awaits clearance form the football authorities and it was Mark Brown who took his place between the sticks.
The day didn’t get off to the best of starts for Rangers when referee Alan Freeland awarded the home side a penalty with just 16 minutes of the match gone.
Pacy youngster Keigan Parker got the better of Sergio Porrini and the Italian was adjudged to have pulled the striker down inside the box.
Parker dusted himself down after the challenge and took the spot-kick himself, confidently slotting the ball beyond Mark Brown to give the Saints the lead.
The Ibrox side’s best chance of the first half came on the half hour mark and it fell to midfielder Barry Ferguson.
The youngster picked up the ball on the edge of the box but his attempted chip wasn’t well executed and Alan Main, who was some way off his line, collected easily.
Captain Lorenzo Amoruso was the first to bring out any real save from Main when he fired in a superb 30-yard free-kick which the Scotland squad goalkeeper had to gather at the second attempt.
Advocaat made no changes at the break and five minutes after the re-start Miller had the Gers’ best chance of the game.
The ball was whipped into the box by Ronald de Boer and the ball fell to the unmarked Miller inside the six-yard box but he didn’t catch the ball cleanly and Main managed to claw the ball to safety.
There was certainly more urgency about Rangers in the second half and just three minutes after Miller’s chance Neil McCann played Billy Dodds in with a neat ball but Main made a good save from his shot.
It was only going to be a matter of time before Gers got themselves back on level terms and the breakthrough finally came for them 11 minutes into the second half.
Miller tried to play a through ball to De Boer but it was intercepted by Darren Dods, as the ball came back to the Rangers striker, however, he hit it first time from about 25-yards and the ball nestled into the bottom right-hand corner.
It was a great goal by the former Hibs man and he would have been delighted that he’d managed to answer the questions which Advocaat had asked of him.
After the goal the game swung firmly in the direction of Rangers but they failed take advantage of their lions’ share of the possession and in the 66th minute they found themselves behind yet again.
Saints defender Mohammed Sylla was allowed to run half the length of the park without being challenged and he fired in a tremendous shot which gave Brown absolutely no chance.
De Boer tried a neat chip right at the death but it drifted just over the bar and in a sense that summed up Rangers’ day. It was, you could say, a bad day at the office.
MAN OF THE MATCH: When NEIL McCANN started turning on the style in the second half Rangers were a totally different team and most of the chances were created through the pacy winger.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: There were very few from a Rangers point of view but Kenny Miller’s wonderful goal was certainly a moment to savour despite the defeat.
RANGERS: Brown, Amoruso, Ferguson, De Boer, Konterman, Dodds (Lovenkrands 70), Tugay, McCann, Porrini, Miller Adamczuk (Wallace 70) Subs (not used): Smith, Wilson, Ross