Rangers 1 Hearts 1

From DEREK McGREGOR at Ibrox

Published: 23 Jul 2011

NINETY-THREE-year-old Robert Andrew is a lifelong Rangers fan.

A season ticket holder for an incredible 50 years.

He's seen plenty of vintage performances - he's also witnessed some of the worst.

The opening 45 minutes here from the defending champions surely rated in the stinking category for this grand old True Blue.

He walked out proudly alongside new Ibrox supremo Craig Whyte for the unfurling of the league flag and the celebration again of a world record 54th title.

An invitation which was a class touch by Rangers who also laid on a spectacular firework display minutes from kick-off.

But agonisingly for this most senior of citizens and the other 48,000 home fans the rest of it in Ally McCoist's first competitive game as boss was a damp squib.

Little spark and not enough explosive penalty box action.

And having been rapturously cheered as they emerged from the tunnel at 12.25, by 2.15 the Three in a Row kings were being booed for looking like chumpions.

Day One of the 2011-12 season and already legend McCoist is under pressure.

Many more performances and results like this and his fabulous Gers career won't matter a jot in the eyes of an intensely demanding support.

Now McCoist MUST get better from his players for tomorrow night's crunch Champions League qualifier against Malmo.

He would have been desperate for an opening SPL victory to bolster the belief he is the right man to follow in Smith's footsteps, and answer those Gers sceptics.

What he got was not calamitous, but it was deeply disappointing.

Hearts should have had the game wrapped up by half-time. And McCoist knew it.

He believes he's a motivator of men and with the buck now stopping at him, he went some way to proving it with his 15-minute interval pep talk.

Rangers were a goal down to a stunning David Obua header after just 16 minutes and later had Allan McGregor to thank for a brilliant reflex save to deny David Templeton.

Minus suspended skipper Davie Weir, Gers looked fragile at the back and were largely void of any creative inspiration.

Hearts bossed it. Rock solid in defence, lively in midfield, a threat in attack. Everything, frankly, Rangers weren't.

But they saved themselves from opening day humiliation with a second half that, if hardly dazzling, was a big improvement. They were also helped by a Jambos side which decided to settle for what it had - instead of going for the jugular.

A two-minute second half moment aside, McCoist watched the game from the directors box, just as his mentor Walter Smith preferred.

No2 Kenny McDowall and coach Ian Durrant were charged with providing the touchline direction. Despite the big build-up Gers looked flat and the home support weren't slow to let them know. Kirk Broadfoot, challenged by coach McDowall for not stopping Obua at the Hearts goal, had abuse raining down on him from the main stand.

As the Hearts supporters chanted their approval for Gers stars the scenes of elation at Rugby Park on the final day of last season must have felt like years ago.

Juan Ortiz huffed and puffed on his debut, but the bottom line is Hearts right-back Ryan McGowan had his measure for the 7 minutes they battled. Gers hitman Nikica Jelavic was strangely subdued.

He was effectively a lone striker with the lively Stevie Naismith playing off him.

Stand-in captain Steve Davis and Naismith, twice, passed up gilt-edged chances before the Scotland star pounced in the 57th minute to execute a neat glancing header from a Sasa Papac cross.

The disappointing Ortiz was hooked for Ibrox youngster Gregg Wylde with 15 minutes left and Rangers were better for the change.

But all the same McGregor had to be at his magnificent best again in the 77th minute to tip over an Obua screamer.

Hearts, with Templeton stunning in the first half and Eggert Jonsson and Marius Zaliukas outstanding throughout, deserved at least a point.

On this showing they look a good bet to remain the country's third force. But Papac should have left them shattered in the final minute - instead of tamely shooting at keeper Marian Kello.

McCoist was left with plenty to mull over as his era gets underway.

He lost to Hearts in his final game as a Rangers player in May, 1998.

And now 13 years on he was lucky not to lose his first to them as Gers gaffer.

The remarkably loyal Mr Andrew will surely be expecting much better in the weeks ahead.