Jonny McFarlane gives his on the whistle reaction to the 1-0 victory over St Johnstone in Perth.

A failure to take control 

It’s been hard to escape the idea that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side look to sit back after taking the lead in away games. It’s a narrative that we’ve seen play out over and over again this season. The manager has denied this is the plan, but the reality is plain for all to see. Rangers ceded impetus to the home side from their third-minute goal and never really gained it again. Given the vastly superior quality within Rangers’ squad it felt like the manager was dicing with death not making changes and as the match went on nerves continued to fray, despite St Johnstone’s obvious lack of threat. A better team, with more threat in forward areas, would have likely been more ruthless in taking advantage. 

Rangers injuries felt in midfield 

John Lundstram and Glen Kamara don’t look a duo with an awful lot of chemistry in the middle of the pitch. For long periods they failed to control the game, a situation made all the more surprising given Joe Aribo and Scott Arfield were also in the mix and able to drop deep. St Johnstone looked to turn the game into a battle for territory, a situation that was unsurprising for anyone who has watched them this term. In such moments, Rangers have to rise above the fray and show their quality but this proved to be difficult. To be fair to the players, the Perth pitch was hardly conducive to slick passing football on the night and contributed to a fractured game state. It’s hard to escape the biggest issue right now for Giovanni van Bronckhorst is a lack of options to make changes. With an injury list that includes Ryan Jack, Steven Davis and Aaron Ramsey, his midfield trio is enforced by circumstance and any opportunities to freshen up weary legs is extremely restricted. 

Morelos continues to impress despite being starved  

The Colombian made the perfect start with a gorgeous cushioned pass into the path of Glen Kamara for the opener and continued to show an appetite for hard work throughout. While the jury is still out on the van Bronckhorst era at this stage, it’s undeniable he’s had a significant effect on the club’s number one striker. In the final days of Steven Gerrard’s reign he had started to look completely disengaged and disinterested in the action around him. His performances were often lazy and his failure to defend from the front was a constant frustration. He’s completely flipped the script on that front and although the team created little, his link-up play was excellent on a rutted, difficult pitch. He’s once again become Rangers’ most important player. 

Fans make their opposition heard 

If there was ever any question the vociferous nature of fan reaction to an Old Firm clash in Australia might be something of a social media bubble, then tonight was surely when that notion was spectacularly popped. Loud chants of “you can stick your fucking friendly up your arse” boomed around McDiarmid Park from the start, leaving little room for doubt about an issue that has vexed fans for much of the day. Beleagured commercial director James Bisgrove appeared on Rangers TV and club media partners Heart & Hand to make his case for the decision but it clearly hasn’t changed the minds of the rank and file. The club will hope a win tonight will allow the fuss to die down but you get the sense the scale of the upset, felt even amongst even fans known to be balanced and thoughtful about issues surrounding the club, mean it may be more difficult to put to bed than run of the mill controversies that have flared up in the past