Perhaps those who dismissed the benefits of an icy dip and a bracing trek up a hill were correct after all.
Having eschewed the confines of Auchenhowie for a day in the countryside last week, the outlook for Russell Martin remains extremely bleak.
Hard on the heels of delivering in a must-win cup tie against Hibs, the Rangers manager needed a solid start in the Europa League to keep his critics at arm’s length.
This failure on match day one sees him return to an extremely dark place. There was no organised protest on this occasion, but the spontaneous sounds of dissent were unmistakable inside the ground as the game ground to a halt.
The plain fact is that, as the end of September nears, Rangers have still to win back-to-back matches this season. That’s simply inexcusable.
Martin’s side certainly weren’t helped by Mohamed Diomande’s dismissal late in the first half, the red card produced for a truly woeful challenge on Zakaria El Ouahdi. But to try and blame this latest reverse on that set-back simply won’t wash.
The pressure continues to build on Rangers manager Russell Martin following this latest defeat
Some sections of the Ibrox support have already made up their minds on the boss
Ex-Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-Gyu netted the winner for Genk 10 minutes in to the second period
They were fortunate that for the longest time Hyeon-gyu Oh had the same eye for goal he had in his two seasons with Celtic.
The Korean had already missed a string of chances before seeing a penalty kick saved by Jack Butland in first-half injury time.
Credit where it’s due, though. Just when it looked like there was no end to his suffering, he converted the hardest chance of the night to ease his side in front.
Rangers only played in fits and starts. Youssef Chermiti was isolated, Mikey Moore was devoid of composure and subbed at the break. Diomande was chasing shadows before his night ended early.
Although Thelo Aasgaard tried to put his foot on to ball, Nico Raskin was tidy and Djeidi Gassama had some flashes down the left, there was little cohesion.
Again, they were suspect defensively. A better team than Genk would have punished the opportunities that came when James Tavernier and Jayden Meghoma were eliminated at will by their direct opponents.
Butland, John Souttar and Derek Cornelius had to produce some heroics to keep Rangers in the match. Their resistance was only ever going to last for so long.
The empty seats around Ibrox told their own story. A decent performance against Hibernian at the weekend was never going to be enough for an embattled manager to win the battle for hearts and minds.
Mohamed Diomande was shown a straight red card for a dreadful tackle on Zakaria El Ouahdi
A good number of supporters are now disengaged and apathetic. It’s clear that many will stay away until there’s a change at the helm. It made for a strangely subdued atmosphere, not befitting of a game of this importance.
Let there be no doubt about this; The Belgians were an eminently beatable team, exactly the kind of outfit who so many of Martin’s predecessors have sent packing in recent times.
Third bottom of their league with just two wins from eight, they’d arrived in Glasgow in wretched form with manager Thorsten Fink feeling the heat of his own support.
They departed feeling much the better for the joust with Rangers. This season, it’s been a common story.
With the inclusion of Chermiti the only alteration from the side which defeated Hibs, Martin banked on continuity being the key to happiness.
The £9m man had an inauspicious start, a heavy touch in the opening seconds needlessly conceding a throw-in.
It typified Rangers as the game settled, poor control and a lack of awareness not helping a support that was already on edge.
Without a goal in his four appearances against Rangers in his time as a Celtic player, Oh was only denied the opener by Jayden Meghoma’s block.
Keeper Jack Butland denied Oh from the spot late in the first half with the scores level
Dressed head to toe in black on the sidelines, Martin flapped his arms and pleaded for calm. It had to be better. Soon it was.
Moore’s attempt to beat Hendrik Van Crombrugge with a floater wasn’t far away. To Raskin’s annoyance, Moore then curled an effort wide which the Belgian felt was his ball to strike all day long.
Souttar rose to catch Tavernier’s deep free-kick. Only some acrobatics on the line by Bryan Heynen kept the Scot’s header out of the net.
On a mild Glasgow night, it rained chances. Picked out by Jarne Steuckers’ cross, Oh blazed the ball over the bar while completely unmarked.
Patrik Hrosovsky’s nimble feet took him out of Raskin’s tackling range in the box. To Butland’s relief, his shot caught the outside of the far post.
To give Oh his dues, he kept coming back for more. The trouble for the Korean was that the story didn’t change in the first period. Even though Cornelius was leaning into him, he’d no excuse for not converting Hrosovsky’s cross from the left.
Rangers badly needed a break. They thought they had it when Joris Kayembe handled the ball under pressure from Tavernier.
The skipper’s push ensured referee Matej Jug didn’t point to the spot after being invited by VAR to review the incident. Tavernier’s dismay was understandable.
The hosts huffed and puffed but rarely threatened Hendrik Van Combrugge in the visitors’ goal
There could be no complaints, though, about the decision which led to Rangers being reduced to 10-men four minutes from half-time.
Diomande’s foul on El Ouahdi on the half-way line was a clear a red card as you’ll ever see. Going in high and at pace, he might well have caused his opponent a serious injury.
It might well have immediately gone from bad to worse. Taverier’s shove on Yaimar Medina looked a clear penalty at the time. It was mystifying that the referee required confirmation on his pitch side monitor to award it.
Oh looked confident, brushing Cornelius out of the way as he spotted the ball. His kick was powerful but too central.
Butland didn’t commit and stretched to his right to parry. Somehow, Martin’s depleted side made it to the break on level terms.
They might well have pinched the lead in the opening moments of the second period had Aasgaard not been leaning back when he let fly.
Butland’s goal then survived a sequence of pin-ball before Oh — again — failed to convert while stretching for Hrosovsky’s cross.
Just when the Korean must have been fearing that his manager had seen enough, he got his moment.
This was Rangers’ fourth loss in their last seven matches as their poor form continues
With Rangers committed and open, Steuckers arrowed the ball through the defence. Although Oh’s first touch was excellent, he still had work to do. He finished superbly into the far corner as if none of his previous errors had even happened.
You suspect the caution be picked up for taking his shirt off and celebrating with his supporters is unlikely to deprive him of much sleep.
Even with 10-men, it should have galvanised Rangers. Instead, they went to pieces, lumping the ball straight out of the park and failing to make routine passes.
When Kayembe flew off the pitch and straight into Martin, the roar that went up inside the ground said much about the manager’s current popularity rating.
