Rangers reaction: Danny Rohl plea to fall on deaf ears, the Ibrox 'bomb squad', Kilmarnock hope

Here are three takeaways from a busy night at Ibrox:

Rohl’s plea for “positive energy” likely to fall on deaf ears

Danny Rohl has been at Ibrox for almost four months – and in British football for two-and-a-half years now – so the fickleness of the crowds in this country shouldn’t really come as a surprise to him after all this time. The German admitted he was bemused at the murmurings of discontent from fans during the first half when Rangers were completely lacking in any creativity or drive. The floodgates duly opened later in the match to make it far more comfortable than had seemed likely at half-time. But the booing was a reminder to Rohl that, for all the improvements he has helped bring about in a relatively short time, that the punters will still let him and his players know if they’re not happy with what they’re seeing on the pitch. Rohl’s plea for patience won’t likely make any difference on that front. Fans will always air their grievances, even when watching a winning team.

Squad depth could prove vital to Rangers’ title challenge

Rohl made five changes for Kilmarnock from the team that started at Hibs and suggested he will rotate extensively again on Sunday for the Scottish Cup tie against Queen’s Park. Bringing in four new signings has finally given them that luxury and it will likely become a theme over the remainder of the campaign. Intriguingly Rohl also spoke about retaining some players on the bench so they could make an impact later in the match as Kilmarnock tired. That tactic clearly worked as Andreas Skov Olsen and Oliver Antman both scored once summoned as substitutes, and Ryan Naderi had a useful late run-around too. Keeping some of your best players fresh and out of the starting line-up has become commonplace in rugby. Could Rangers start a trend of “bomb squads” in football too?

Hope in defeat for Kilmarnock

A 5-1 defeat was not what Neil McCann would have been dreaming of on his return to Ibrox but there was plenty to admire in Kilmarnock’s play despite the result. McCann took over a sinking ship and helped steer them to their first win in 14 matches when they thrashed Aberdeen last weekend. With Livingston seemingly destined to drop through the automatic relegation trapdoor, Killie will battle it out with St Mirren, Dundee and Dundee United to avoid 11th spot and the danger of the play-offs. Shipping five goals won’t have done Kilmarnock’s goal difference any good but the manner in which they stuck to the task after losing Dom Thompson to an early red card was rightly praised by their manager. It is the sort of hard work and application that they’ll need if they’re to haul themselves away from the foot of the table.