THE sentiment was the same.

The circumstances entirely different. The chant that emanated from the visiting end at Tynecastle during the second half of Saturday's damaging two-goal loss to Hearts - telling him, in no uncertain terms, where to go - was nothing new to Ally McCoist.

Back in February 1985, during a now-infamous defeat by Dundee in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, more or less the whole of Ibrox reverberated to the sound of him being told to "get to f***". He did a decent job in brushing that aside by going on to become the greatest goalscorer in the history of Rangers.

The prospects of him bouncing back to scale the heights as manager, though, can hardly be described as bright. Times have changed quite considerably since his days as a player, after all.

The pre-Souness years are often described as some kind of barren wilderness at Rangers, but, while hardly a golden era, it should be pointed out that they won the League Cup and defeated Internazionale 3-1 at home in Europe in the same season as that reverse to Dundee. They were not nine points behind in the second tier of Scottish football and depending on loans to keep the lights on.

McCoist also had the unqualified support of everyone around him at the club back then. It was exhibited quite clearly that afternoon he reached his lowest moment when, rather than sneaking out through a side exit, his team-mates made him walk with them through the front doors of Ibrox into the throng of incandescent supporters calling for his head.

David MacKinnon was fielded at right-back that day. He was one of the players who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with McCoist. What concerns him is that his former team-mate is now beginning to look like a man alone within the maelstrom of confusion and uncertainty that now surrounds the fallen Glasgow giants.

There is no suggestion of McCoist being relieved of his duties at Ibrox. The question is whether that is a decision made on footballing grounds alone or related to the punitive cost of replacing the management team at a time when getting the club's finances in order is paramount.

Whatever the reality, McCoist limps on, wounded yet unbowed. MacKinnon's great concern, though, is that, this time, he has no-one capable of helping him bear the load weighing heavily upon his shoulders at a club that has been brought to its knees by the well documented chaos of the boardroom over the past three years.

"It is different being a player because you have 10 team-mates and the rest of your squad around you," he said. "This is just my opinion, but I think Coisty has been isolated at Rangers. He has had very little support and he needs someone in there that he can bounce things off.

"There needs to be more of a collective spirit there to overcome the adversities throughout the club. At other clubs, managers, for example, have people they can trust and discuss things with from a footballing perspective. I don't know if there is anyone at Ibrox right now with that skillset.

"After that game against Dundee, the heads were down in the dressing room and there was a crowd outside baying for blood, particularly Coisty's. The management of the club were suggesting that he should go out of the side door to get to the school across the road where the cars were parked. The late Colin McAdam, who hadn't been playing, and Derek Johnstone both told him that he had to go outside, keep his head up and face up to them.

"The decision was made that we would all go out the front door, pretty much en masse, to get across the road past the baying mob.

"Colin had given Coisty instructions not to react to the people shouting at him, but, when we got outside, he almost ended up boxing with a fan. He was telling the boy to shut up and leave him alone.

"It was the loudest I think I have ever heard that kind of booing and shouting. We were all in it together, though, and that is why we all went out the front door together.

"I remember that game. We had a lot of the play and Ally must have missed about 10 chances. Normally, he would have taken at least half of them. We all took responsibility and wanted to stick by him.

"Coisty did not lose his ability as a player that day against Dundee. He came and proved it to everyone. I do not believe he has lost his ability to be a really good manager as a result of losing at Hearts."

MacKinnon, now serving as communications chief at Hamilton Academical, knows McCoist, given all he achieved as a player, will be cut to the quick by the return of supporters singing in hope of his demise. "It hurts, it really hurts," said MacKinnon. "Everyone is a human being. In my opinion, though, he has gone above and beyond the call of duty for Rangers.

"The supporters at Ibrox have always had an unbelievable respect for him thanks to his achievements and that has to continue.

"Something has to change to make things better on and off the park and only people close to the club in football and business terms can know how that can happen. We can all make assumptions from outside, but Coisty could make it work with the right support."

Craig Paterson was the captain against Dundee on that day in which McCoist learned such a brutal lesson in the burden of expectation and believes he took something from it that has always lived with him.

He agrees with MacKinnon's view that his old colleague will be agonising over what it needs to improve matters for Rangers, but warns that McCoist needs more from his players after going down to a Hearts team that had been severely weakened through injury.

"I think Stuart McCall is a similar character," said Paterson. "He wasn't sleeping at night because he couldn't work out how to turn it round at Motherwell and I feel Coisty will be exactly the same. Everything going on at the club will be a nightmare for him.

"I still feel he is strong enough to take the flak coming his way and will come through it because he is a born-and-bred fighter.

"I think he became a lot stronger as a player by coming through what happened against Dundee. Things are not going so well for him now, but he will become stronger as well. He is not the type to cower away and give in. I was impressed with Jon Daly's remarks about the players having to stand up and be counted.

"Hearts are looking good and you must remember they beat Rangers without the spine of their team in the shape of Danny Wilson, Prince Buaben and Osman Sow.

"I don't see Hearts going on any kind of nightmare run. If Rangers are going to win the title now, they need to produce a run unlike anything they have delivered in the last two years."