There have been several Rangers managers over the past ten years or so who never quite seemed to grasp the most basic and fundamental parameters of the job.

You either win matches and win trophies, or you are deemed a failure. If you do not fulfil that remit, there is no mitigation that can be offered. No extra points for artistic merit.

It is a reality which never felt like it sat all that comfortably with the likes of Mark Warburton, Michael Beale, Philippe Clement, Russell Martin or Danny Rohl.

Derek McInnes has spoken repeatedly this season about the fact that winning matches is ultimately what underpins everything else.

Unlike many of his predecessors, McInnes knows what is expected of him, and he knows what will and will not be tolerated by supporters.

Even on days when his team do not play overly well and it turns into a grind, as was the case in this Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Aberdeen at Hampden yesterday, getting the win is all that matters.

Rangers fans have never demanded silky free-flowing football. Even Walter Smith’s nine-in-a-row team would never be mistaken for prime Barcelona. But they were efficient, effective and relentless.

But here’s the rub. Rangers are too often a tough watch at the moment. Winning ugly is a valuable and necessary trait to have for any manager in the Ibrox hotseat, no question.

When it starts to become the default method, however, it becomes more of a concern. This is where McInnes is still searching for the right balance in this Rangers team.

In the early part of the season, he flip-flopped between various different systems: 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2, before eventually settling on 4-4-2.

Perhaps it was the back-to-back victories over Celtic in September that cemented in his own mind the belief that 4-4-2 would be the way forward.

But there have been times recently when it has looked an awkward fit. It didn’t work at all against Hearts at Tynecastle last week as Rangers scraped a 2-2 draw.

And, despite eventually grinding Aberdeen into submission courtesy of a late winner from Ryan Naderi, it didn’t really work yesterday.

Aberdeen arrived short-handed, with five defenders missing through injury or suspension, and set up to make the evening as awkward as possible for Rangers.

By and large, Stephen Robinson’s side succeeded in doing exactly that. It was a performance which offered some signs of life despite their woeful form in the league.

But the reality for Robinson heading into next weekend’s home clash with Hibs is that he probably needs a win in order to save his job.

Aberdeen will also rue a massive opportunity that was squandered by Kevin Nisbet on 76 minutes when the score was locked at 0-0.

After Stuart Armstrong fed a pass into his path, Nisbet hesitated when the situation demanded that he hit it first time.

Rangers dominated possession and had 25 shots at goal, although the fact that only five of those were on target was described as ‘embarrassing’ by McInnes.

But it was often slow and disjointed. As was the case at Tynecastle, they completely bypassed midfield and went long to Naderi and his strike partner Kevin Kelsy, looking to then play off second balls.

You wonder what might be possible from this Rangers team if they were to go with three in midfield and really control games properly and play through the lines.

It’s not like they don’t have the personnel. Nico Raskin and Dan Neil are more than capable of getting the ball down and playing football.

But the overall balance of the midfield just doesn’t look right at present. Perhaps this was why McInnes tried to shake things up by dropping Neil and playing James Penrice in the middle of the pitch at Hampden.

Penrice, a left-back by trade, didn’t have a poor game by any stretch. After eventually reverting to his normal position when Neil came off the bench, he teed up the winner for Naderi.

But, playing him in midfield was a change that never really worked. It was a square peg in a round hole – and actually highlighted the lack of faith that McInnes has in some players.

Tochi Chukwuani and Vanja Dragojevic were signed for a total outlay of almost £9million. Chukwuani hasn’t started a game since the defeat to Jablonec and has been limited to substitute appearances.

Dragojevic also hasn’t featured from the start since the Jablonec game – and has made only one substitute appearance since then.

The word from Rangers is that the 20-year-old midfielder, who captained Partizan Belgrade, is a talent but still very raw. That’s fine. But he is not going to develop if he doesn’t play any football.

Chukwuani and Dragojevic were both signed for good money. The current system has cast them as bystanders. It is incumbent on McInnes as manager to nurture that talent.

All in all, this was an exercise in winning ugly for Rangers. There is, of course, a lot to be said for that. Especially in cup semi-finals, getting the job done is all that matters.

But when winning ugly starts to become the norm rather than a fallback, it is only natural that fans will start to question the style of play.

Badredine Bouanani was Rangers’ best player against Aberdeen. He was a constant menace to them, cutting in from the right on to his left foot.

Minsu Kim probably had his poorest game yet in a Rangers jersey. But there’s no doubting his talent and the fact he’s a player around whom things should be built this season.

Ultimately, McInnes is still searching for the right balance. That search is visible in the selections and in the way the team plays.

A midfield that can control the tempo, progress the ball cleanly through pressure, and offer both defensive cover and creative outlets remains a work in progress.

This victory at Hampden demonstrated the progress being made in terms of a team who can grind it out, but also highlighted some of the limitations that remain in this Rangers team.

Winning ugly is a useful habit. Whether it can evolve into something more fluent on a consistent basis remains to be seen.

Whether midfielders purchased at considerable expense can be integrated rather than left on the periphery, and whether the long-ball tendency becomes a Plan B to fall back on or merely the default style of play – these are the issues that will define how this Rangers team develops under McInnes.