Barry Ferguson’s first home match as Rangers manager was meant to be a celebration - a landmark occasion at Ibrox with Armed Forces Day tributes and captain James Tavernier marking his 500th appearance for the club.
Instead, it was Michael Wimmer and his Motherwell side who stole the headlines, delivering a shock 2-1 win that further deepened the crisis engulfing Rangers.
The defeat leaves Rangers a staggering 16 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership standings, with an increasingly restless Ibrox crowd making their frustrations clear at full-time.
Despite all the pre-match fanfare, it was Motherwell who made the stronger start, pressing high and unsettling a Rangers side desperate for a response after recent struggles.
Wimmer, who took only charge of the Steelmen last month, set his team up to frustrate and counter effectively, and they executed his instructions to perfection.
Luke Armstrong put them ahead on nine minutes following a VAR check before Tom Sparrow slotted in a second by the half-hour-mark.
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It was like it was all planned out by Wimmer, whose team are now into the top-six after back-to-back victories this week.
“It’s difficult to describe my mindset now and it’s difficult to talk about that because I’m so proud of the guys,” Wimmer told Motherwell TV.
“They did it so well and all week what we spoke about we spoke about bringing that on the pitch, and the first half was brilliant.
“I’m very proud. The first half turned out like it was in my mind and the second goal was exactly what we had spoke about. This is something.
“The guys are perfect, they have such great character and work ethics, they want to learn. They are hungry to learn.
“So, I’m happy that it worked today and I’m happy that I can work the next 14 days on the pitch now in the training.
“There’s more information I want to give them then I hope that it gets better.”
Some managers would feel a nervousness or expect the worst when Rangers reduced arrears early into the second half through Cyriel Dessers, but not Wimmer.
He was confident that his Motherwell men could hold out for an important three points.
“The last Wednesday [2-1 win over Dundee] gave me the conviction that the guys have a great character,” he explained.
"I thought no worries. I think as a staff, we made good subs. The subs were immediately in the game and they done what I expect from players on the bench. They come in and give the input that we need. It happened on Wednesday and today was the same.
"In the end, we defended like lions and did it very well.
"I also have to compliment our fans. I know the stadium was really full and loud but I could hear our fans and this is very important for us."
