The message from Danny Rohl has been one game at a time. Another win has Rangers in Premiership contention. Who could have foreseen that at various stages of this rollercoaster campaign?
Thelo Aasgaard scored his second goal in as many matches to give Rangers the lead late in the first half. On the balance of play, it was no more than Rohl's side than deserved after a comfortable 45 minutes.
Rangers did not need to wait long after the break to add to their tally and make sure of the points. Manny Fernandez showed the impact he can have in front of goal once again, finishing well from six yards.
St Mirren were awarded a penalty after a VAR check for handball. Jack Butland saved superbly from Marcus Fraser from 12 yards. He was beaten by Mikael Mandron minutes later but the comeback did not get any further than that.
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Rangers close the gap again
The old cliché about not getting too high when you win and too low when you lose has been pertinent for Rohl in recent weeks. At times it has felt like his side have been considered title contenders whenever three points have been collected and written off as no-hopers when points have been dropped. Through it all, Rohl’s stance has been the same.
The German will not get ahead of himself after this victory, either. The deficit to Hearts – which stood at 12 points after the loss at Tynecastle – has been cut to six in a couple of days.
At the halfway stage of the campaign, Rangers are not favourites. But they are contenders. And given everything that has gone on here over recent months, that itself is an achievement.
Of course, the picture and the mood will change once again at the weekend as Rangers head to Parkhead. A win for Rohl would be the perfect late Christmas present and a real statement of intent.
As it stands, this squad is not good enough to go all the way and reinforcements must be forthcoming as a matter of urgency. Chairman Andrew Cavenagh watched his second game of his trip to Glasgow. If he oversees a derby win at Parkhead, he will surely start dreaming of what could be possible in this remarkable campaign.
Rohl's side see it out
You wait weeks for a goal and then two arrive in as many matches. It is too early to say that Aasgaard has turned the corner at Ibrox. He still has a long, long way to go for that to be the case. But following up his winner against Motherwell with the opener here will certainly do him no harm at all and will win him some points in the eyes of the support.
Jayden Meghoma provided the cross from the right flank and picked out Aasgaard in a crowded penalty area. The midfielder rose well and directed a fine header beyond Shamal George. His third goal for the club came at a timely moment and boosted Rangers just minutes from the break.
Rohl’s side had been comfortable until that point. A couple of half chances early doors kept George alert without him being overly worried. Nico Raskin should have broken the deadlock after being picked out by Djeidi Gassama but the Belgian pulled his effort wide of the far post. A deflected effort from Youssef Chermiti, after he turned well on the edge of the area, resulted in the corner that Rangers scored from and George tipped a Mikey Moore strike onto the bar.
A second goal was always going to be needed here. It came seven minutes after the break as Chermiti provided the cross and Fernandez provided the finish. It was not with his head on this occasion, but a neat side-foot finish from six yards beat George as the ball squirmed through the legs of the keeper.
St Mirren aren't shut out
There was some surprise on Saturday evening when it became evident that Rangers had the best defensive record in the Premiership following their clean sheet against Motherwell. Given the issues that this side have had in their own third, few would have believed such an achievement was possible but it was evidence of the work that Rohl has done to solidify this side since he succeeded Russell Martin.
In truth, Rangers were fortunate to add to their clean sheet tally at the weekend. Butland made amends for his errors at Tynecastle with a handful of crucial interventions as Motherwell carved out clear scoring chances in an impressive showing.
Thankfully for Rohl, the visitors on this occasion did not have the same attacking purpose. St Mirren could have few complaints about being behind at the interval as a couple of dead ball situations came to nothing. Butland saved from Jayden Richardson but the offside flag was already raised.
One moment in the first half summed up events for the Buddies. Jonah Ayunga received treatment on the far side of the park and then infuriated the home crowd by walking across the pitch rather than off and round as he sought to buy his side some time. It still wasn’t enough for Dan Nlundulu as he copped an earful from Robinson while searching for a shirt that had to be delivered from the dressing room. He then ran straight onto the pitch and was sent back to the touchline so the formalities of his introduction could be completed.
Butland made a smart save to deny Mandron after John Souttar had lost possession cheaply. Within minutes, the Buddies found themselves two goals down.
When Butland saved from Fraser, the visitors looked beaten but Miguel Freckleton was denied brilliantly by Butland and Mandron pulled one back.
Rohl mixes it up from the start
It was more about those who were not selected than many of those who were. Dujon Sterling dropped out of the squad, as did Bojan Miovski. Connor Barron, arguably the most consistent performer of late, dropped to the bench. All three absences were negatives for Rohl, but all were understandable, too. The cases of Sterling and Barron were about managing their minutes, while Miovski has been suffering from the flu and was not fit to feature.
The snap reaction on Sterling was that he would be injured again. That was not the case. The Englishman has been asked to do a lot in a short space of time following his lengthy absence with an Achilles injury. With Parkhead to come and a start on the cards, this was a night to give him a breather rather than push him when it wasn’t necessary as Souttar returned to the starting line-up.
There was also an unfamiliar name on the bench as Rabbi Matondo featured in a Rangers squad for the first time since January. Any minutes the Welshman earns will be to put him in the shop window rather than offering him yet another chance to win over yet another manager.
Moore and Aasgaard were withdrawn midway through the second period with one eye on the weekend. Barron received a warm welcome, with Max Aarons also introduced.
Chermiti was also granted a round of applause on his exit. It was another game without a goal for the Portuguese but there had been more to appreciated about his overall effort. Souttar was also given an early finish as Danilo and Clinton Nsiala, and then Findlay Curtis, saw out a nervy ending.
Rangers remember the Disaster
The crowd fell silent to remember as Ibrox paid tribute to those lives tragically lost in the Disasters of 1971 and other tragedies at the stadium. Unfortunately, there is always one who has to ruin it. Seconds before the end of a minute that had been impeccable observed, a shout of ‘Come on the Saints’ emerged from the corner between the Broomloan and Sandy Jardine Stands.
A handful of heckles from both ends followed before the blow of the whistle from referee Ryan Lee. The condemnation towards the culprit was even stronger after the commemoration ended. Stewards entered the away section and calm was restored.
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