AN emphatic victory can still be a sideshow for Rangers.

The focus, as so often this season, was on the directors box more than the pitch, as politics around the club continue to be a mixture of intrigue and mystery. James and Sandy Easdale took their seats next to Brian Stockbridge, the finance director and company secretary, but attention was on Dave King, the former Rangers director.

He sat between his mother and sister, having returned to Scotland last Friday to hold meetings to determine if he can bring unity to the board and begin the process of generating more funding for the club.

It was the first time King has been to a Rangers match since Craig Whyte bought the club two years ago. Initially, the game did not merit the commitment or the significance of King's return. Even the youngsters who climbed the trees outside New Bayview to watch the game must have wondered if it was worth the effort.

But Rangers found the means to overcome the home side and in the end it was a straightforward result, a thing which eludes those involved in the boardroom saga.

"I'm glad we won it for him," said Ally McCoist, who spoke briefly to King after the match. "It's been a while since Dave's been at a Rangers game. Winning 4-0, I can officially tell him he's more than welcome. I know meetings have been going on, but that is nothing we can have a bearing on. All we can do is pick a team that will win on the park."

The manager added: "We lacked urgency in our forward play. We were tidy enough without being aggressive in trying to score, but that changed in the second half and we got our rewards. We know what to expect when we come to the away grounds. It was a really tough 45 minutes and until we get the first goal it's up in the air."

In the opening period neither side took command. East Fife crowded the midfield, and Rangers were often too ponderous to threaten. Incidents were sporadic, though when Lewis Macleod slung a cross into the penalty area, Jon Daly leapt with the East Fife goalkeeper, Greg Paterson. As Nicky Clark turned the ball into the net, referee Stephen Finnie blew for a foul.

The interval brought a chance for the Rangers players to redouble their efforts, since the home side were content with their work. East Fife manager Willie Aitchison had warned his players a lapse would be punished. "Games are 90 minutes, that's the problem," he said. "We kept our shape in the first half and the boys worked hard at trying to contain Rangers. But their budget is 45 times our budget, so that's what we're up against."

East Fife were eventually undone because they could not stem Rangers' wide play. When Lee Wallace delivered a dangerous cross from the left, Gary Thom stuck out a leg and turned the ball into his own net.

Then Jon Daly profited from crosses from the right, heading a Peralta delivery past Paterson, and doing the same after Clark headed another Peralta cross back into the goalmouth. He completed his hat-trick when Ricky Foster's cross was turned back across goal by Macleod.

It was an unremarkable game, but that is not all that matters at Ibrox right now. Before the end, supporters unfurled a banner and held it up to the directors' box. "Sons of Struth Say AGM now" it declared, in reference to the delayed annual general meeting that will allow shareholders to vote on the fate of the directors.