With the latest Michael Beale transfer promise still ringing in their ears, Rangers fans have been trying to make sense of a second half horror show in Aberdeen.
After fluffing their lines in the first period despite making enough chances to bury the Dons, Rangers paid the price by conceding twice and having the sort of luck in front of goal that’s too often a hallmark of this shot shy Ibrox side.
Rangers are a team who show fits and starts of fluent dynamic football but who never quite show enough cutting edge or cojones to ever look in control of football matches.
It’s a team who has talent within their ranks but who – quite clearly – lack the bite, guile, guts, leadership and ability to win the matches that really matter. The big absences in the background show up huge weaknesses in the squad.
Rangers fans, heck, even Michael Beale, can wax lyrical about the domestic run the club has been on since he came into the club but without any true pressure, having already fluffed the league title, it’s hard to truly judge this side’s merits.
All we know is that in the games that matter, against Celtic and now Aberdeen, Michael Beale and his team have bottled it.
For Rangers fans who’ve been over the course long enough with this team of chicken livered violin players, who can ride the crest of a wave but sink like a stone and let it envelop them when it crashes, the jig is finally up.
Michael Beale oversees Aberdeen calamity
The club’s supporters have been calling for a proper evolution of this playing squad for the last 48 months yet all we’ve got are patchwork solutions which are held together like Ryan Jack’s ankles.
The defence, having now conceded seven calamitous goals in its last 270 minutes, is currently being led by a goalkeeper with whom sentiment has replaced common sense and a £4m centre-back who is currently playing at the value of the loose change down the back of your couch.
Rangers need better between the sticks and it’s not like the support hasn’t been saying so for the last 18 months at least. Liam Scales’ long-range, cross ball opener just proves it.
But these things happen and Rangers could not cope with the spirited Aberdeen reaction that followed as the same players we’re sick and tired of seeing let us down once again, let us down.
Michael Beale spoke heading into the Aberdeen match that every player who was involved in the 5-2 win over St Mirren – barring McGregor and Alfredo Morelos – would be at the club next season.
These are ominous comments, and going by yet another Premiership shambles in the 2-0 defeat, if the Rangers manager sticks by them he’ll be signing his own Ibrox death warrant.
The fans’ patience will wear about as thin as this summer’s transfer business and if the changes aren’t appropriately rung, and success is not immediate, then heads will roll.
There might be a little patience with new starts, there’s none left with this team.
Michael Beale isn’t immune and if he doesn’t cut the cord with this squad of no-hopers and they let us down again, it will be his own napper on the chopping block within the next 12 months.