Rangers reaction: Why the bizarre post-match excuses don't cut it - and the Hamza Igamane form dip

Clement's excuses don't cut it

There was nothing Philippe Clement could have said in the Ibrox press room after the shocking 1-0 defeat to Queen's Park that would have appeased irate Rangers fans. Win, lose or draw the Belgian is always open and engaging but some of his excuses for the worst Scottish Cup exit in the club's history left a lot to be desired.

The result, he admitted, was "unacceptable", but that seemed to be as far as the criticism went towards either himself or his players. Bringing up the shots on goal tally, after you've become the first Rangers manager to be dumped out of the Scottish Cup on home soil by lower league opposition, was a moot point.

"We get today the most shots on goal of all season," felt like the Belgian attempting to fight a blazing inferno with a kids water pistol considering the level of opponent. "Maybe we wanted it too much," was another bizarre take when Rangers fans who had just watched such a feckless display would be inclined to think the exact opposite.

"It was nothing to do with tactics," was another line from Clement. The Belgian even brought up his transfer budget and the squad "evolution" - worth raising perhaps when attempting to topple Celtic or in a European context, but completely irrelevant up against the side currently sitting fifth in the Championship with a squad put together on a shoestring.

Clement clearly has faith in himself and his players that the Rangers supporters simply do not share at this moment. It is going to take something special to win them back over from here.

Igamane’s form dip

No Rangers players earned pass marks - they were all dreadfully poor - but one man who has been getting a lot of praise and attention recently served a reminder that he is not the finished article.

Hamza Igamane is arguably the best signing of the season in the Scottish Premiership when comparing his 13 goals and overall contribution to his £1.7m price tag. The 22-year-old Moroccan has shown all the attributes to suggest he will one day earn Rangers a sizeable profit on their investment. But this ineffective performance against lower league opposition highlighted that he remains a work in progress.

Two clear cut shooting chances were fumbled in the first half, before he let his frustration get the better of him with a wild attempt from 30 yards that was closer to the second tier of the Broomloan Stand than the goal. Much of the game passed Igamane by and when presented with the ball in space inside the box in stoppage time, blazing erratically over the bar with a panicked attempt that was neither a shot or a cross summed up his performance.

We have seen enough already to know that Igamane is a talent but that is now five games without a goal and his form has clearly dipped. How Clement manages him over the next few weeks will be important to get him back firing on all cylinders again.

Callum’s cup magic

Callum Davidson and cup heroics go hand in hand it seems. As if winning a historic League and Scottish Cup double with St Johnstone in 2021 was not enough - which included knocking out Rangers at Ibrox - the former Scotland defender now has one of the biggest Scottish Cup shocks of all time on his managerial CV.

Asked how this giant-killing act compared to his St Johnstone successes, Davidson, who sat in the stand at Ibrox due to serving a touchline ban, replied: "I think so with where Queen's Park is and what we had at our disposal. Nothing will ever compare to winning the two cups in the same season but results like this go a long way to make you enjoy football and make you want to be in the business. It's tough when you hit the other side, I've been there as well.

“Some people say try and not get too high when you have good times but I disagree with them. I will just enjoy it because you are there to quickly get criticised. We are a Championship team, with a very young group of players. We were pushed for limits in the squad. Hopefully we will have a few back by the next round."

The Queen's boss admitted he couldn't bare to watch when Rangers were awarded a 95th minute penalty, which Calum Ferrie saved, only for VAR to check for possible goalkeeper movement off the line, before eventually giving it all-clear. "I think my hood was over my face at that point and when VAR called it back for the check on the infringement for Calum I thought 'oh no not again' we had a couple of poor decisions last week hence why I was in the stands for penalties and sending-offs.

“But overall you have to enjoy these occasions, it doesn't happen very often, especially for Queen's Park but enjoy it and enjoy getting through to the next round."