With Lee Cook out injured and changes needed from the team that played Sunderland Gregory sprang some surprises. Royce was in goal behind Mancienne, Rehman, Stewart and Bignot. Rowlands, Smith, Gallen and Ray Jones lined up in an ultra attacking midfield with Blackstock and Nygaard up front. 

Rangers actually started the brighter of the two sides and should have scored when Turner dropped a ball at the feet of Rowlands. Instead of striking the ball at the gaping goal he messed about and the chance was gone. Rowlands then fired across the face of goal after being played in by a good ball from Nygaard. The profligacy in front of goal was a hallmark of the first half performance, that and dire defending. 

Palace took the lead with their first attack of any note. A hopeful punt from Iain Turner bounced and allowed Kuqi to outmuscle Stewart and get goal side of the Jamaican centre back. Kuqi took his time and cut the ball back into the path of Dougie Freedman who buried a simple chance from six yards. The way Stewart let Kuqi bustle past him was criminal and it wouldn’t be the first time the big Finn would get the better of him. What was just as bad was the fact that Rehman was so far away from Freedman that Mancienne had to come over from right back to try and block the shot. The Chelsea youngster would spend most of his day covering for the two oafs to his left. 

Nygaard then somehow contrived to miss an open goal from underneath the bar after some great work from Jones and Blackstock. Giant Ray was turning in a good shift in his bizarre left wing role and he floated a great ball to the back post which was expertly nodded down by Blackstock. Turner had been taken out of the equation completely and Nygaard just had to tap the ball home but he somehow allowed the ball to pass between his legs. It was ridiculous. 

Ben Watson tried his luck from long range but fired over the top before Smith forced Turner into a save with a bobbling shot from twenty yards. Turner managed to get enough on the ball to prevent Nygaard lumbering in and tapping it into the stand. Palace doubled their lead shortly afterwards after some dire defending and terrible goalkeeping. 

A ball played up to Freedman on halfway posed little danger before Stewart came flying in with a sliding tackle and went steaming past the ball. Freedman turned and played in Kuqi and he ran toward goal. As he pulled the trigger Royce had the ball well covered but he had a Tony Roberts moment and the ball went through his hands, under his leg and into the net. Game over. 

Minutes into the second half Royce came off second best in a shuddering collision with Kuqi after Stewart had let him run free yet again. With Royce lying prostrate on the deck Kuqi managed to fire wide. Royce was still hopping about when Kuqi got in again after dropping one of his massive shoulders and slipping Stewart for the eighty fifth time. This time the ball was parried by Royce and Jobi McAnuff contrived to smash an effort miles over the bar. 

In the first half Rangers had been half decent going forward but now even that wasn’t happening as Iain Turner sat on a deckchair on the goal line thumbing through the paper. The man on loan from Everton had so little to do Taylor could have taken him off with twenty minutes left and stuck another outfield player on. 

With five minutes to go Palace grabbed their third of the game through sub Clinton Morrison. Jobi McAnuff sprung the offside trap, well he didn’t really but the lino was as bored as the R’s fans and seemed to lose his concentration and didn’t bother to flag. The flying winger picked out Morrison who had made his run to the near post and it was a simple tap in for the Republic of Ireland international striker.  

With that the yomp to Selhurst station began for many in the crowd. Rangers got what they deserved from the game, banjoed! The one positive to come out of the match was that Rehman picked up his fifth yellow of the season so he won’t play at Stoke. Stop cheering at the back!  

Both he and Stewart were shocking all afternoon. When Rehman plays poorly Stewart is sometimes able to dig him out of a hole, when Stewart plays badly Rehman can’t reciprocate. Both of them were grateful to Mancienne for three of four excellent covering tackles, hopefully he will get a chance to partner Stewart next weekend at Stoke. 

The midfield was a poor selection in my book, we needed someone in there to have a tackle and put some pressure on, and neither Gallen nor Smith was able to do that. Gallen tried to cover but he can’t get about as quickly as he or we would like and Smith was totally anonymous. He seems like Stewart Wardley without a trade! Ray Jones and Rowlands both worked hard, Jones especially did well in an alien position to him. He showed some good touches and proved that he has great natural talent. 

Nygaard came up with miss of the season and I don’t think he would have played had Cook been fit. Blackstock worked hard again but without Cookie picking him out time and again we never managed to fashion him a decent chance.  

Gregory has to lift the players now for a game against a Stoke team that last conceded a goal on the last day of October. If we play like this they will also give us a hiding. He has to pick the right team first of all, something which I think he has failed to do in the last two games, and he has to get them to start defending as a team again. 

Man of the Match – Michael Mancienne. This probably wasn’t Mancienne’s best game for Rangers but he certainly proved his worth with the covering he did behind two shocking centre backs.

simon@qprnet.com