Manager Paul Le Guen made one change from the debacle at Inverness with Kris Boyd replacing Filip Sebo.
St. Mirren made all the early running, and following a series of free-kicks around the home penalty area there was a stunning opener from Richard Brittain in thirteen minutes when he rifled home a Mark Corcoran cutback from twenty yards.
This was the last thing that either Rangers or the 50,273 crowd needed after Wednesday's shambles, yet within five minutes the scores were level when Boyd headed home a Charlie Adam corner.
It was end-to-end action - Kirk Broadfoot seeing his 25-yard shot held by Allan McGregor in 23 minutes.
Boyd should have given the Ibrox men the lead two minutes later when his shot from Libor Sionko's lay-off was blocked by the legs of visiting goalkeeper Tony Bullock.
Rangers were gradually getting a stranglehold on the game, and Adam saw his wide-angled free-kick strike the crossbar in forty minutes.
The Paisley men were far from out of it however - Brittain seeing another twenty-yard drive whistle just over from a Simon Lappin cross three minutes later.
The half ended without further score, yet within four minutes of the restart Rangers were denied a stonewall penalty when Nacho Novo was pulled back by Broadfoot as he moved onto a Boyd headflick. Referee Eddie Smith was not in the best position to make a decision, but received no help from his linesman Steve Pullar.
Three minutes later an appalling error by Karl Svensson released Corcoran through on goal with Brahim Hemdani in close pursuit - but the Saints forward sliced his effort wide of the target.
A Barry Ferguson - Novo move down the right sliced the visitors defence open in 55 minutes, but the Spaniard's finish was pathetic and the chance was lost, and four minutes later when the same two players combined Boyd, right in front of goal, sclaffed his shot wide.
Ferguson was inches wide on the hour with a shot from a Boyd headflick, then sixty seconds later Novo beat the offside trap only to shoot straight at Bullock.
The pressure was now unrelenting - Novo heading a Hutton cross over in 67 minutes.
Chris Burke had replaced Adam in 58 minutes, and it was not long before he was caught up in the furore concerning St. Mirren's constant cheating and play-acting when his innocuous tackle on Lappin saw the midfielder collapse in a heap only to be back in the action within seconds. Almost immediately afterwards, with Rangers on the attack, the referee again stopped play for treatment to Lappin who had mysteriously collapsed for a second time.
It was all too obvious that this was a cheat of the highest order, for he resumed play for a second time within seconds, yet Eddie Smith took no action against the Saint.
Rangers piled on the pressure in the closing stages without a breakthrough - and the final whistle brought forth a crescendo of booing from the Ibrox
legions.
Afterwards a crestfallen Le Guen reflected:
“I am very disappointed with the result. It was better than Wednesday. We had the pressure and lots of chances, but I am totally aware that this is not enough. I feel the pressure. We had some very good games one month ago. We won't give up. I know there are problems, but the spirit is there.”
RANGERS McGregor; Hutton, Hemdani, Svensson, Papac; Sionko, Ferguson, Clement, Adam (Burke 58); Novo, Boyd
UNUSED SUBS Klos, Rae, Murray, Sebo, Stanger, Lennon
ST. MIRREN Bullock; Van Zanten, Broadfoot, Millen, Maxwell; Reid, Murray (McKenna 45), Brady, Lappin; Brittain, Corcoran (Gemmill 89)
UNUSED SUBS Smith, Potter, Sutton, McCay, McGinn
REFEREE Eddie Smith