The prospect of American investment looms for Rangers, but not swiftly enough to ease the concerns at Ibrox. Stars and stripes flags were scattered around the stadium, courtesy of opportunistic vendors outside.
Whether a deal with the commercial branch of the San Francisco 49ers will be finalized remains uncertain. However, given the current situation, negotiations—no matter how delicate—must intensify, assuming 49ers Enterprises are still interested. On the bright side, Rangers seem to be lowering their asking price with their performances.
A familiar scene unfolded as a team in black and white frustrated Rangers on their home turf. Comparisons can be drawn to the humiliating Scottish Cup loss to Queen’s Park two weeks prior. Yet, this wasn’t a tale of an underdog defying the odds but rather another chapter in Rangers’ series of historic setbacks.
Although one doesn’t need to go as far back as 1882—when Queen’s Park last beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup—history still played a part, as St Mirren hadn’t won at Ibrox since November 1991. On that occasion, Kevin McGowne’s long-range effort deceived Andy Goram. The last time St Mirren managed consecutive victories over Rangers was in the 1979-80 season when they secured three straight wins.
Goals from Mikael Mandron and substitute Olutoyosi Olusanya deepened Rangers’ woes on a day when they had a golden opportunity to close the gap on Celtic, only to falter again.
Manager Philippe Clement’s position is precarious, though he may keep his job due to ongoing upheaval at the club’s top level. Nonetheless, the atmosphere at Ibrox was toxic once more.
At the final whistle, Clement headed straight for the tunnel, followed by captain James Tavernier. A few players, led by goalkeeper Jack Butland, stayed behind to apologize to the remaining home fans but were met with jeers and waved away.
The frustration was palpable, highlighted when the announcement of nine minutes of added time was met with boos from the sparse crowd. Any hopes of Rangers scoring twice were clearly unrealistic. Even Vaclav Cerny’s shot that hit the bar barely stirred a reaction.
Either Rangers were slow to emerge for the second half, or St Mirren were early, but the sight of the visitors eagerly waiting emphasized their determination.
Stephen Robinson’s team arrived with a clear purpose and displayed confidence from the start. They could have led as early as the eighth minute when a poor goal-kick from Butland gifted Jonah Ayunga a chance, only for the keeper to redeem himself with a crucial save. Just before halftime, Hamza Igamane was fortunate to escape with a yellow card after a tough challenge on Mark O’Hara, with referee Kevin Clancy downgrading his initial red card decision after a second look.
Even at full strength, Rangers were outmuscled, with Alex Gogic excelling in defense for St Mirren. Mandron and Ayunga consistently troubled the home side, and six minutes after the break, Mandron scored after a flick-on from Ayunga. Although initially ruled out for a foul, replays showed Clinton Nsiala had simply lost his footing.
Substitute Olusanya sealed the win five minutes after coming on, overpowering Nsiala before curling the ball into the corner.
Reflecting on the previous defeat to Queen’s Park, Clement acknowledged the setback in his first program column since that game, calling it a “big blow” and urging his team to use the experience as motivation. However, the performance against St Mirren was far from the positive response he had hoped for.
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