ONE of the reasons Rangers have managed to be so consistently successful in this country is their ability to re-motivate themselves week after week, even when tackling run-of-the-mill games.

There are signs that this

special talent is on the wane, which is bound to be worrying for the manager who needs one more big effort to complete his set of titles before he takes a back seat.

The complacency that was rarely detectable in the Ibrox sides of they last 10 years is becoming alarmingly obvious and the lesser lights in the top division are beginning to catch on.

There have been notable exceptions to this attitude

deficiency, like the 7-0 thrashing of Dunfermline, but teams like Motherwell, Kilmarnock, and St Johnstone have highlighted the dangers of making assumptions when you score the first goal.

Against Killie a few weeks ago at Ibrox, Rangers went into sleep mode after taking the lead, but then found themselves

having to fight hard before swamping the Ayrshire side in the last five minutes.

At Fir Park last week they were in front but ended up level after an apparently mediocre showing in the second half.

Against St Johnstone they looked in sparkling form early on and all seemed set fair when they went ahead after only six minutes through Rino Gattuso.

However, after Brian Laudrup went off with a recurrence of his hamstring injury in 25 minutes, they switched off and went through the motions.

The problem is that, even if they score again, the opposition still senses a lack of total commitment and will keep on plugging away.

Marco Negri scored a second goal near half time, but Saints, who had by then begun to fancy their chances a bit, got a good break with an Allan Preston equaliser almost immediately afterwards.

Perhaps that would have taught old Rangers a lesson, but new Rangers had not taken too much heed. They suffered from the same self-delusion, believing it was all done and dusted, when Negri scored again soon after the interval.

It was not, however, and St Johnstone, undeterred, had their best and longest spell of supremacy, which culminated in a goal by George O'Boyle and sent the Ibrox lot into sweaty session until the end.

The men from Perth deserve great credit for their play, which was enterprising as well as

energetic and, if they had

managed a third goal, it would have been no great injustice.

They had a squad of decent players, none more impressive than young defender Calum Davidson, who could earn his club a hefty transfer fee if he

continues to progress.

Davidson had not played for eight weeks because of a hernia injury, had trained only 10

minutes with the first team, yet did well, maybe even well enough to warrant the lavish praise of his manager, Paul

Sturrock.

''He was a revelation considering that he hasn't played for so long,'' said Sturrock. ''He is going to reach a very high standard.''

The Scotland Under-21 player, who has given up his university studies in engineering to pursue his football career, admitted that he was pretty exhausted in the closing stages, which was hardly surprising.

''Otherwise I felt all right,'' he added, ''I have been doing a lot of swimming with the physio and feel quite fit.

''I thought we played well and after we stopped Rangers from playing we created some good chances.''

He confessed not to be too

disappointed at the sight of

Laudrup having to leave the field. ''That might have made a wee bit of difference,'' he said with a smile, ''He is a classy player. But, once we believed in ourselves, we did well. In the past against Rangers and Celtic, we have been inclined to go out expecting to lose. Maybe the fact that they scored first forced us into having a go.''

The 21-year-old has been

flattered by speculation about his future which, before he was injured, linked him with some English clubs, but is too level- headed to let it bother him.

''I won't pay much attention unless something definite

happens. I am learning all the time with St Johnstone and playing against players like Laudrup, Gascoigne, Durie and Negri is great experience.''

Gascoigne was very subdued after a few bursts of brilliance in the first half. Laudrup was beginning to cause havoc when he had to go off and Durie, who replaced him, never got into his best form. In fact, Laudrup had just made the finest run of the afternoon into the penalty box, leaving a baffled posse of defenders behind, when he pulled up sore.

Laudrup's recurrence of the injury that kept him out for the previous two games is a worry for manager Walter Smith,

especially as he will be without suspended Gascoigne for the next four games, but he has also got to tackle the attitude problem that seems to be creeping into the ranks.

Next league games: Rangers - Hibs(h). St Johnstone - Aberdeen (a).