So the ghost of Rangers past was out to scare the living daylights of this new Rangers, as former captain Terry Butcher guided Inverness Caley Thistle to a convincing League Cup win at Ibrox on the halloween night.
On a day when a judge in Edinburgh oversaw the liquidation of the company which previously ran the club, the Bears who shuffled out the stadium later that evening must have wondered if they would ever witness the glory days, which were a common thing when Butcher skippered the Light Blues back in the late eighties.
The road back to the top of the Scottish game will be a long one indeed for the Gers, and based on the evidence of the their form so far this season the bumps along the way may well be too much for Ally McCoist to overcome.
Losing to an SPL side should not be a surprise for fans of the leaders of the Third Division, but it was the manner of the defeat which should concern the faithful.
At half time, few could have forseen the Highlanders romp so comfortably as they did in the second half where McCoist’s men were outfought and out-thought.
Sure there is no disgrace for this cobbled together Rangers side to capitulate in the manner they did against a team three divisions in front of them, but yet again the ineffectiveness of several players was highlighted.
Take for example, Ian Black.
Snapped up in the summer after Hearts failed to offer him in a new contract, hardly surprising when you consider the Gorgie club are on the brink of administration too, Black opted to make the move to Govan knowing full well he would be plying his trade in the lower reaches of the Scottish Football League for at least one year.
This bold decision was well received by the bluenoses, his no nonsense gritty style of play and ability to make defence splitting passes would make him a real asset to the Gers. But Black has been a major let down.
He displays no leadership, no willingness to grab a game by the scruff of the neck. Instead his, major contribution has been assisting the profits of stationary makers, as countless referees have been forced to take his name thanks to his massing of unnecessary cautions.
His frustrations at not stamping his authority on games in the proper manner have also resulted in a couple of needless episodes where he has also engaged in some shouting matches with his own fans.
For some Gers supporters the sight of Terry Butcher in the away dug out was a reminder of the days when the club could rely on solid dependable centre halfs, attributes Ross Perry and Emilson Cribari are lacking in abundance.
Why Ally McCoist took the decision to recruit the likes of Cribari, Anestis Aryriou and Sebastian Faure, when it would probably be wiser to look around the Scottish game for guys with a decent level of experience of playing in the Scottish League is something which also puzzles many Bears.
The lack of creativity and vision continues to be evident. It’s frankly embarrassing for Gers fans to point to the absence of David Templeton as the likes of Wallace, Shiels, Hutton and, to a lesser extent, McCulloch all possess far better qualities than they are showing.
Ally McCoist is not stupid, he is fully aware that the performance of his teams have been in the main lacklustre, but whether he really will be the man who will be tasked of leading this great club back to the top of the Scottish game will continue to be questioned whilst his sides fail to impress on a regular basis.
More horror shows like Wednesday night and the debate about the Rangers managers match day attire will be seen as a minor issue compared to the one about his overall managerial abilities.
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Ah well, Saturday’s result puts this to bed doesn’t it?
McCoist will do very well thanks very much and these players will be good enough to get Rangers out of the next two divisions.
Strangely enough, I never heard McCoist mouthing off about ‘how easy it would be’ but now he gets castigated for failing to fulfill the media’s prognosis of how the season would pan out. Laughable, but never mind.
However, for the Rangers haters in Scotland, and they are in abundance, many would love to see Ally gone simply because of what he means to the club and what the club means to him. There are also a few members of the hard of thinking in the Rangers support calling for him to go but they would do well to exercise a few brain cells. He keeps Mr Green in check; without McCoist he could get in his lickspittle and have a much freer rein with the club. Now, perhaps I’m doing Green a disservice and I sincerely hope that I am but it is a point to remember.
Finally, Ally McCoist also showed the club unbelievable loyalty when many purporting to love the club beyond measure were salivating at the prospect of pocketing a shed load of money with their ‘get out of Rangers free’ cards.
Quite frankly, if one day McCoist turns out to be struggling I am absolutely sure that nobody will need to tell him to clear his desk. The Rangers support should certainly not be doing it and at this juncture it would be criminal.