Standards at Ibrox are not being met and Rangers gaffer McCoist is only one who can raise levels

Success on the park and mayhem off it has kept the dissenting voices quiet in recent years but the fans may be about to make theirs heard.

Few managers would find themselves under the pressure McCoist is after delivering two successive league titles and taking his side to second place at this stage of the season.

But nothing about McCoist's reign has been normal, the Gers boss finding himself in the middle of a situation none of his illustrious predecessors ever did and, fans hope, none of his successors ever will.

The jury is out on McCoist the manager and the prosecution have an ever-growing list of indictments available.

Stirling, Annan, Peterhead, Forfar, Stranraer, Raith, Hearts, Hibernian. The memories are painful for fans and the days still damaging for McCoist's reputation.

In some quarters of a furious, fractured fanbase, enough is enough already.

It is a situation he knows all to well, has been through before and will handle again.

But there will come a point where the status quo can't be maintained. It is likely to be a moment of McCoist's chosing.

He admitted last month that he would know when the time was right for him to leave Ibrox but that is unlikely to be soon.

The heat remains on a beleagured board but the spotlight has been turned on the boss.

Too often McCoist has been let down by players, with performances nowhere near what is required, even in the lower leagues, and certainly not acceptable at Rangers.

The latest embarrassment came on Monday night as Hibs followed Hearts' lead and left Ibrox with three points.

The inevitable knee-jerk reaction saw McCoist once again come under attack, as he has, and will, every time points are dropped this season.

The Hibs game summed up everything that is wrong with Rangers just now.

The team selection was bizarre, the decision to play players out of their natural positions baffling, the tempo flat and the quality low.

The standard of player at McCoist's disposal has increased through the divisions but the nature of his team has not evolved enough.

On paper, the squad is the second strongest in Scotland. On the park, it is far from it.

There is no apparent style, Rangers are poor at the back and have little creativity.

The approach is too often one-dimensional and lethargic and while it has proven effective thus far, fans are entitled to expect much better.

IF the players are not carrying out McCoist's instructions, he should make the big call and drop them from the side.

For too long, the likes of Ian Black and Nicky Law have gotten away with sub-standard performances, and Bilel Mohsni moments of madness.

The standards expected at Ibrox are not being met and there is only one man who can raise them to the levels demanded.

Rangers need a spark. That has to come from McCoist, and it has to come soon, starting at Livingston on Saturday.

While Rangers remain title contenders, there is no chance of the manager calling it quits, and even less of the board pushing the panic button.

Charging the current incumbents with the task of hiring only the 14th man to assume office at Ibrox is surely a daunting, fearful proposition for fans to consider.

That doesn't make McCoist untouchable, though, and the flak will fly his way the next time his side fail to perform.

The calls for him to go every time points are dropped or performances are poor don't help the fraught situation at Ibrox.

Change has to be forthcoming. It must come from the touchline, but that doesn't mean the man in the dugout must first pay the price.

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