These early-season jitters for Rangers don’t come much worse than this. The Ibrox side threw striker upon striker at FBK Kaunas last night but the Lithuanians held firm in this first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round tie, despite having a goalkeeper who looked as though he wouldn’t be able to clutch his own head properly.

Kaunas defended stoutly, but Ibrox growled at the lack of clean incisions by Walter Smith’s team. Rangers forced their way up the park often enough, but there was a poverty to their play in the final third, characterised by a series of high balls into the box that few blue shirts got near.

The irony here was unavoidable. Having become infamous for their one-striker policy last season — a plan that took Smith and Rangers all the way to a Uefa Cup final — the home side played 4-4-2 last night and threw on a glut of extra strikers, all to no avail. Typical of the evening, a Davie Weir effort in the dying minutes was scrambled clear by the visitors.

It all leaves Smith anxiously awaiting next Tuesday’s return leg in Kaunas where, as is almost his fate, there will be scathing criticism of the Rangers manager if he doesn’t lead his team beyond these unsung Lithuanians. Smith has restored Rangers but reputations in football are vaporous.

But things have reached a sorry pass at Rangers when a player is booed before he has even kicked a competitive ball for the club since being signed. In private, Smith has long-lamented and lampooned the lunacies that some of the fans’ websites have unleashed, but the campaign against Kenny Miller by a section of Rangers fans has gone from being amusing to downright absurd.

Plenty allegedly poor players have turned out for this club in the past — and that judgment of ability is always subjective — but when have they been booed like this? The very mention of Miller’s name by the Ibrox announcer last night provoked derision from a large section of supporters, giving the lie to the lofty idea that their disapproval of the striker is merely to do with his ability.

Had that been the case, such frosty greetings would have occurred countless times before, but they haven’t. Miller, plain and simple, is a former Celtic player, a fact that some of the more backward elements attached to Rangers cannot stomach.

Mercifully, a healthy majority at Ibrox were soon applauding the striker as he scurried here and there in selfless endeavour. Nonetheless, it was a problematic night all round for Rangers. Miller might even have given Rangers the lead after 19 minutes, taking Charlie Adam’s pass and deftly controlling the ball before placing his shot past the Kaunas goalkeeper, Marian Kello. Irmantas Zelmikas, admittedly not one of Europe’s more famous defenders, raced back to clear the effort, denying Miller a classic Ibrox U-turn in his fortunes — from villain to hero — inside of 20 minutes. Gradually, though, this stadium warmed to him.

Indeed, Miller set up Rangers’ best chance of the first half minutes before half-time, releasing Jean-Claude Darcheville through on goal with a perfectly weighted pass. But the French striker’s touch was slightly cumbersome and, even though he rounded Kello, Tomas Kancelskis, the defender, got back to divert the ball round a post. As awkward as that chance was, it was easy to see then why Darcheville has never been a natural goalscorer.

There was no denying the threat posed by Kaunas, and while the Rangers players puffed around trying to find their rhythm, both Mindaugas Grigalevicius and Rafael Ledesma had decent efforts on goal. Indeed, Ledesma, Kaunas’s Brazilian playmaker, forced Allan McGregor into a swift save before the break, diving to his right to fist the ball away.

If Rangers needed any reminder of the dangers afoot, next up was Grigalevicius once more, twisting past defenders to again force McGregor into the save. Kaunas were clearly a threatening team and, as this match wore on with it still goalless, a clear apprehension could be felt around Ibrox. Ledesma, in particular, was happy to taunt Rangers, taking the ball for walks and inviting lunging tackles. From one of these the Brazilian was injured and had to be replaced after 62 minutes.

Nacho Novo had been introduced for Christian Dailly at half-time, and Rangers were left desperately trying to up their tempo. Miller, surrounded by defenders, forced in a shot that Kello fisted away, and this goalkeeper gave a distinct impression of being vulnerable, if only Rangers could get at him. And then, after 65 minutes, one of the biggest roars of the night at Ibrox greeted Kris Boyd, who was sent on for Darcheville, but to no avail as Rangers failed to find the mark.

Rangers (4-4-2): A McGregor — S Whittaker, K Broadfoot, D Weir, S Papac — L McCulloch, C Dailly (sub: N Novo, 46min), K Thomson, C Adam — K Miller (sub: A Velicka, 73), J-C Darcheville (sub: K Boyd, 65). Substitutes not used: N Alexander, B Hemdani, A Webster, K Lafferty. Booked: McCulloch.

FBK Kaunas (4-1-4-1): M Kello — N Radzius, T Kancelskis, I Zelmikas, M Fridrikas — P Mendy — L Plibaitis (sub: M Cinikas, 82), A Mrowiec, R Ledesma (sub: N Manchkhava, 61), V Luksa — M Grigalevicius (sub: A Rimkevicius, 67). Substitutes not used: E Javier Greer, V Zubavicius, M Baguzis, B Mamic.

Referee: K Blom (Netherlands)

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