No, that wasn't the headline in any of your Monday morning rags but sometimes I think it is only a matter of time. Baz gets lead role in Casualty. Boydie to star in A&E. Stop it! We've had enough bad luck on the injury front, it would be daft of me to tempt fate by inviting more.
At first glance, our 3-1 win at Rugby Park looks like a good afternoon's work. The Gers are firmly on course for that crucial Champions League slot, we got a hat-trick for Kris Boyd against his old club and a performance which was far from our worst of the season, although there certainly remains plenty of room for improvement. But when you realise that Ugo Ehiogu and Kevin Thomson didn't last beyond the half-time break and are now out of the midweek match in Tel Aviv, the gloss begins to fade.
The term ‘credit where credit is due' obviously isn't part of the vocabulary down Kilmarnock way. Sharing a few sherbets with some locals later, I couldn't believe my ears when I heard referee Dougie Macdonald being bad-mouthed as some sinister friend of Rangers. Gimme peace! Like so many of the current crop of refs, Macdonald just isn't very good at it, no matter which team you support.
Our early penalty was undoubtedly a wee bit soft but defenders really have to think before they dive into challenges. Boydie was going nowhere but Simon Ford lunged in needlessly and made it easy for the ref to point to the spot. The big man made no mistake and, after only eight minutes, I was then texting the news to the Gloryhunting Globetrotting Loyal who buggered off on Saturday for a week in the sun in Israel. Hey guys, you missed a smashing day out in Ayrshire. Honest!
By all accounts, Barry's header just six minutes later was a legitimate goal but Dougie Macdonald allowed himself to be overruled by a late flag from the Main Stand linesman. Perhaps he had an inkling of what was afoot, with his colleague on the other side of the pitch being the target for a few missiles when the home fans didn't like some of his decisions. Has Timothy taken to moonlighting elsewhere on Sundays?
When we finally got the second goal on the half-hour mark, Killie boss Jim Jefferies moaned (never!) about poor marking but we must surely applaud Alan Hutton's inch-perfect cross which made it all so easy for Boydie. Alan has blown hot and cold this season but some of the criticism of him has been OTT. He might not be the best right-back in the world but he is the best we've got on our books so we should get right behind him, instead of growling non-stop as if some are actually hoping he'll make a mistake. Grrrrrr.
Mind you, he didn't cover himself in glory when he pushed into the back of Steve Naismith to present Killie with a second half penalty. What did I say about defenders needing to think before they dive in? The ball was sailing harmlessly high and wide of the danger zone so only Alan knows what was going through his head when he decided to barge into Naismith. Such impulsive reactions only give his critics more ammunition.
Of course, Allan McGregor made a brilliant save from Peter Leven's kick, a minute later Nacho was chewing the turf at the other end and Boydie rattled in goal number three. Game over? Hey, this is Rangers we are talking about. No sooner had I suggested that we might be on course for another clean sheet than we gave away a sloppy goal and, with the best part of 20 minutes left to play, we all enlisted in the Surelytaefeckwecannythrowthisaway Loyal.
God only knows what might have happened if Killie had got another one back pretty quickly. Thankfully, it didn't happen and, with a bit more urgency up front, we might have increased our lead in any of a number of late counterattacks. But if you'd offered me 3-1 at opening time yesterday, I would have taken it so I don't suppose I should moan too much.
Lets hope we can put all our injury worries behind us and get a good result in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. I've a rotten feeling Hapoel will be more capable of punishing any slackness than Killie were and, with Ugo Ehiogu missing, a lot will hinge on Karl Svensson and David Weir striking up a good rapport at the heart of the defence. Fingers crossed.
If we can stretch our unbeaten European run beyond this week, we will be well on our way to the next round and still clinging to the hope that a shitty season might still have a grandstand finish. Much will depend on the efforts of our walking wounded and their ability to shake off their assorted bumps and bruises.
LITTLE BOY BLUE