Patience wears thin with Le Guen

Paul Le Guen's future at Rangers is in doubt following the embarrassing CIS Cup defeat to St Johnstone on Wednesday. The Frenchman is expected to receive a public vote of confidence today from his chairman, David Murray, but he could still be relieved of his duties before Christmas at Ibrox - where he has been charge for just five months - unless domestic results improve dramatically.

Since Le Guen took over from Alex McLeish in the summer, Rangers have endured their worst League start in 23 seasons, winning just five matches of 13 in the SPL. They lie third, three points ahead of the ninth-placed St Mirren and 15 adrift of the leaders, Celtic.

A decent run in the Uefa Cup has deflected some criticism but the defeat on Wednesday drew large-scale protests from fans.

The 2-0 defeat to St Johnstone, who are top of the First Division, was the first time in Rangers' 133-year history that they had lost at home in any cup competition to a side from a lower division. Around 20,000 of the 30,000 fans left the stadium with 10 minutes still to play, and a substantial number gathered outside to call for Le Guen to go.

"When you lose such a game, you must recognise that the supporters are not happy," Le Guen said. "I know they are disappointed but we are disappointed, too. I am very disappointed and I apologise to the supporters because the performance was so poor. I have lost games before but this one was one of the worst." He has vowed to turn things around and said any decision on his future is out of his hands.

Le Guen, 42, was regarded as one of Europe's best young managers after leading Lyon to a hat-trick of French titles between 2002 and 2005, when he resigned to take a sabbatical.