IT provided a welcome distraction from the pain of administration – and possibly also gave an indication of what life might be like in the future when the effects of cost-cutting impact fully on Ally McCoist's squad.

With the starting line-up the Rangers boss was forced to field yesterday, few could have predicted such an emphatic win for the Ibrox club as they swept Caley Thistle aside with a more than deserved 4-1 victory.

Considering the coaching staff and players don't know what the future holds for them at the SPL champions, with administrators set to announce their plans this week, the overall performance was commendable to say the least.

It was a show of unity and, at the same time, a determination to provide their suffering supporters with something to smile about. It was probably as good as Rangers have played away to Caley in quite some time, and as clinical as they have been this season.

McCoist has, of course, very few options available to him. That is as a direct result of the lack of investment in the football team under Craig Whyte's tenure, something that sits in stark contrast with what the discredited owner promised when he swept into power.

Injuries have also robbed McCoist of some of his most influential players, which led to Ross Perry starting the match at right-back, Salim Kerkar operating wide on the left and Andrew Little coming in to partner Lee McCulloch in attack.

Kirk Broadfoot was shifted to left-back with Sasa Papac but there wasn't much in the way of options for McCoist to change things from the bench.

That, however, might just be the way things are to be in the short to medium-term, given the uncertainties away from the field of play.

And, as much as this team still went out and hammered Caley, it would be unrealistic to expect that regularly.

Of more immediate concern for McCoist will be the fact he will probably need to have an input in deciding which football staff are to be made redundant if, as expected, the administrators force the release of players.

However, you have to wonder just how many players Rangers could afford to lose because they are already frighteningly short in every area of the pitch.

The league title might be all but gone, but McCoist still needs some sort of squad to work with.

With that in mind, it is little wonder he was so thrilled to see his team win so convincingly in the Highlands before what is predicted to be another dark week for the club.

McCoist said: "Everybody needed a boost. The players, the management team and coaches, all the staff at the stadium, all the staff at Murray Park and, indeed, all of the fans – especially the ones who travelled up to our game yesterday.

"I'm delighted they got that. The performance was terrific, we scored four really good goals and I have to give credit to every single player involved because they really worked hard and showed how much it means to them.

"I am so proud of the guys who came in, such as Andy Little, Salim Kerkar and Ross Perry. They epitomised the spirit within the club and everybody needed that. I also thought Steven Davis and Maurice Edu were great for us in the middle of the park.

"But I honestly can't pick out individuals. It was a team performance and everyone played their part."

Having lost last weekend at home to Kilmarnock, when they would have been desperate to give their supporters something to cheer, Rangers took the field knowing they had to avoid dropping points to make sure they don't present Celtic with a chance of winning the title at Ibrox.

The Old Firm game takes place on March 25 and, as much as that won't exactly come close to making it to the list of priorities for Rangers, the prospect of a Hoops title party on their turf is something McCoist and his players would rather avoid.

They will have to take maximum points from a home game with Hearts this weekend to make sure that is the case, and if they play as well as they did against Caley, that should not be a problem.

After a nervous opening few minutes, Rangers took control of the game and were simply too good for a very disappointing Caley side. Davis opened the scoring and it wasn't long before Aluko added a second with an excellent finish.

Little then made it 3-0 before Steven Williams pulled one back for the home team, but McCulloch netted a fourth after the interval and it should have been more.

Momentarily at least, the Rangers players must have felt good about themselves. Now they may have to endure one of the most harrowing weeks of their careers.