LOANLEE HEARTS CLUBBED

WE learned three important points from Saturday's enlightening clash between the two teams who would be Kings.

First, Rangers are genuine contenders despite their false start to the new season under Paul Le Guen.

Second, Hearts are some way short of the swashbuckling force which took the breath away this time last year and may even be in danger of slumping towards serious decline.

Third, no one holds a grudge quite like Alex Ferguson.

Bad blood has been coursing between Gordon Strachan and the Godfather of Old Trafford for many a long year. But Sir Fuwious might just have done his old nemesis the ultimate in bad turns.

By gifting Le Guen with youngsters Lee Martin and Phil Bardsley it seems Ferguson has tipped the title balance heavily in the Frenchman's favour.

This pair of Manchester United reserves made their Ibrox debuts and, instantly, two of Le Guen's most pressing concerns appear to have been all but wiped out.

In Martin, Rangers now finally possess a natural left-sided winger who appears capable of causing carnage on opposing defences almost at will. Just ask Hearts right-back Robbie Neilson.

Neilson's Steady Eddie attributes have made him a cornerstone of the Tynecastle side over the last year or so.

Yet for 90 minutes he was taken to the cleaners by Martin until, eventually, in sheer exasperation he committed one foul too many and was invited by ref Kenny Clark to make the long walk.

It was a sad and somewhat pointless end to a desperate day for Neilson but he is unlikely to be the last full-back to be left feeling foolish by Martin who has an ability to bamboozle so quick and nimble are his dancing feet.

In fact, Martin torments defenders by attacking them on his tip-toes in a style reminiscent of that of one of Ferguson's all-star first-team cast, Portuguese golden boy Cristiano Ronaldo.

Martin has an unmistakable star quality about him and it is little wonder Ferguson has sent his own brother north twice in the last eight days to watch Martin in action against Dunfermline and Hearts.

But the report which is sent back his week will also speak in glowing terms of Bardsley who stepped into another of Le Guen's problem positions at right back and did not put a foot wrong.

Uncompromising in the tackle, mature way beyond his 21 years and with a keen eye for a forward pass, Bardsley was another stand-out on what became a hugely encouraging day for Le Guen and for the Rangers supporters who had been becoming restless after two successive draws in three opening games.

Yep, Ferguson has done Le Guen a huge favour by lending him this pair of fledglings and although United will benefit also from farming them out, ultimately it may well be Strachan who is left to curse the generosity of his former boss.

At a time when he himself is having difficulty shaping Celtic into a credible title force, he could surely do without his biggest rival benefiting from such acts of benevolence.

And, make no mistake, it is Le Guen and not the increasingly troubled Valdas Ivanauskas who is shaping up as Strachan's greatest threat.

For 20 minutes or so there was not a great deal between the sides but by the time it was over the gulf was really quite startling, even if the margin of Rangers' victory was only two goals, both of which were claimed by Kris Boyd.

The striker earned a starting place for the first time under Le Guen despite angering his manager by making public his frustration at being left on the sidelines in the previous two matches.

But he did his talking on the pitch against Hearts by slamming home a penalty at the start of the second half and then bulleting a header home soon after, courtesy of one of a number of delicious dead-ball deliveries from Martin's devilish left boot.

Intriguingly, Boyd was substituted by Le Guen who mentioned later that he was not satisfied with the striker's overall contribution.

The uneasy relationship between Le Guen and his most prolific frontman will need some watching.

Brooding Boyd could do worse than accept that there will only be one winner should things deteriorate any further. He must also realise his boss has a point as there are many parts of his game which remain unpolished.

But Le Guen must also proceed with caution as the victory and Boyd's return was no coincidence.

This, after all, is a player with a quite exceptional talent for poaching goals and given the number of chances his team-mates have squandered since the start of the season - and which they continued to pass up on Saturday - Le Guen may not be able to do without him.

Without Boyd's killer instincts, Saturday might have been another missed opportunity for Rangers despite their obvious superiority.

Hearts opened up in aggressive mood with three players - Calum Elliot, Edgaras Jankauskas and Roman Bednar - in attack. For a while this bold approach had Rangers on the back foot, especially Swedish central defender Karl Svensson who seemed to find their presence rather traumatic.

Svensson settled down after a while and showed glimpses of quality, largely due to leadership of partner Julien Rodriguez who turned in one of the most impressive and assured performances of his 12 months in Glasgow.

But he will have to shape up quickly if he is to avoid Le Guen's guillotine as the manager is determined to bring in another central defender before the transfer window slams shut.

Despite Svensson's obvious distress, Hearts were unable to penetrate the Rangers defence and forced the equally uncertain Lionel Letizi into only one save all afternoon, when, in the 11th minute, he tipped Bruno Aguiar's free-kick over the top.

Even then it was a save he did not need to make as Aguiar's effort was fizzing harmlessly over the Frenchman's bar but this was as much as the Edinburgh outfit could muster in a worryingly lacklustre show.

At the other end, Craig Gordon proved his undoubted class with a string of vital contributions.

Gordon saved from Svensson, the outstanding Dado Prso and Boyd all in the first 23 minutes, even although Rangers struggled to find top gear until later in the half.

It was a sharp and crisp passing move in 32 minutes which seemed to spur Le Guen's players on to greater things.

Although it ended with Chris Burke - another major player - failing to get on the end of Prso' through-ball, suddenly Rangers appeared energised and brimming with a sense of self-belief

They began to pass and move their way around the pitch with a slickness Hearts simply could not match.

And when Prso won them a penalty in the first minute of the second half - the Croat was brought crashing down by Neilson's desperate lunge - the breakthrough was theirs at last.

Boyd still had work to do but sent Gordon the wrong way from 12 yards and within four minutes he was celebrating for a second time when he powered on to the end of Martin's free-kick to thud a header home from six yards. Right then it seemed Hearts were in danger of being taken apart and they almost lost a third goal before the hour when Boyd set up Prso for a first-time shot which rattled Gordon's bar.

By now, Rangers were winning battles all over the park, particularly in midfield where Jeremy Clement and Brahim Hemdani had grasped complete control.

And with Burke and Martin attacking relentlessly down either flank Hearts found themselves penned in and struggling just to keep hold of their discipline.

An out-of-shape Paul Hartley was sent on for Saulius Mikoliunas who had contributed only in flashes but Hearts were going nowhere and their frustrations simmered over when three players were booked in as many minutes.

First, captain Steven Pressley had his name taken after a clash with Prso, then Takis Fyssas outrageously slammed a hand into the chest of a ball-boy and Neilson followed them into the book for acrude lunge on Martin.

Martin reacted by toying with his assailant until Neilson could take no more and, in injury time, the Scotland new boy was dismissed for hauling the youngster back as he darted to the byeline.

It was a dismal end to a desperately disappointing day for Hearts.

Although they remain within touching distance at the top of the table, the frequently forlorn Ivanauskas has every reason to fret.

After all, Hearts managers have lost their jobs for less.

A lot less.

Taken from the Daily Record