Rangers manager Ally McCoist slammed his side's defensive display after watching them scrape a 2-2 draw against part-timers Peterhead on their third division debut.
The Glasgow giants on Saturday needed a 90th-minute equaliser to spare their blushes after some poor defending saw them surrender their first-half lead.
The Rangers 'newco' are overwhelming favourites to stroll to automatic promotion ahead of their part-time and amateur opponents in the league after they were demoted to the Third Division when the old company couldn't be saved from liquidation.
Many had tipped McCoist's men to go through the season without dropping a point but after a disappointing draw on their debut in Scotland's lowest tier the manager said his side would have to improve their defending dramatically.
"I can't tell you how disappointed I am with the way we defended. I felt we defended appallingly to be honest," McCoist said,
"I wouldn't say they have let me down, they let themselves down in the way they defended.
"If any of our boys thought this league was a cake-walk and they just had to turn up to get the three points they know what it is all about now as that's a big reminder.
"When it's the big team against the wee team the big team doesn't always win away from home. But, at the same time, I will be very disappointed if we don't perform better than that.
Despite their demotion to to the fourth tier of Scottish football, manager McCoist has still managed to attract several Scottish Premier League players to drop down the divisions and play for the Ibrox club.
However, they failed to show their quality against a side of part-time footballers -- who earn a tiny fraction of the big earners at Rangers -- as the team fielding eight international players were given a rude awakening to their new life in the fourth tier.
Teenager Barrie McKay gave Rangers the lead in the 27th minute when he got on the end of a headed knock-down to fire past Paul Jarvie.
However, Rory McAllister scored a 64th minute equaliser before Scott McLaughlin's superb strike put them in front in the 82nd minute.
With time running out Andrew Little knocked the ball over the line after substitute Kevin Kyle's header crashed off the crossbar.
There has been a mass exodus of first team players from Ibrox in recent weeks and manager McCoist admits he would like to add more players to his squad before a one-year transfer ban begins in September.
"The numbers dictate that we really do need boys coming in as, apart from the boys on the bench, we don't have a lot in reserve," McCoist said.
"We've lost the best part of 24 or 25 players and we've only brought five in so we need to get numbers in."
One player who was expected to leave the club was American international Carlos Bocanegra.
However, the defender admitted he may stay to try and help move the club back up the leagues.
"Nothing has been decided yet," Bocanegra said. "I am happy at Rangers and I love the club and everything about it.
"They treat us first class still and it is a massive club around Europe and they will be back in the SPL soon enough.
"That is the mindset of a lot of players. We want to work hard as the club has given us a lot so if it works out and everyone stays we will help them get back up."
Source: AFP
