Rangers bottle Celtic opportunity after raising white flag early at Ibrox

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As Rangers continue to set records for all the wrong reasons, there is no-one around to take advantage of Celtic’s domestic capitulation.

Rangers have now lost five home games in a row for the first time in the club’s history, whilst you have to go back to 1894 for the last time the Gers conceded two or more goals in six league games on the trot.

Defensive issues and a stark lack of Rangers identity is at the heart of the club’s problems, with Barry Ferguson slaughtering the Rangers team after the 2-0 defeat to Hibs.

But less than 24 hours later Ibrox fans were given even more cause to be furious, despite Old Firm rivals Celtic succumbing to defeat against St Johnstone in Perth.

• READ MORE: James Sands singles out two ‘top-level’ Gers teammates who left a big impression

Rangers and Celtic form lays bare scale of missed Scottish Premiership opportunity

After Rangers suffered a 2-0 defeat to Hibs, Celtic had the chance to stretch their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 16 points with 18 to play for.

But St Johnstone had different ideas and put in a spirited display against an increasingly blunt Celtic side who have struggled domestically in recent weeks.

That 1-0 defeat is Celtic’s third in six league games, with the Parkhead side also suffering defeats to Rangers and Hibs in that space of time.

Rangers meanwhile have been equally abysmal, blowing their chance to cut into Celtic’s lead by losing consecutive matches at home to St Mirren, Motherwell and now Hibs.

If Rangers had won these games – and Celtic continued to slip up – Rangers would be four points behind their rivals with an Old Firm game at Ibrox to come.

Celtic’s recent away form has been abysmal too; the Parkhead side have picked up only 11 points from 24 available across their last eight away matches.

OK, so maybe Celtic would’ve had a fire lit underneath them, but there’s enough evidence to go on here to suggest that if Rangers got their act together, the lead at the top of the table was there to be chipped away.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	32	25	3	4	92	21	71	78
2	RangersRangers	32	20	5	7	66	33	33	65
3	HibernianHibernian	32	13	11	8	50	41	9	50
4	AberdeenAberdeen	32	14	7	11	43	47	-4	49
5	Dundee UtdDundee Utd	32	13	8	11	40	40	0	47
6	Heart Of MidlothianHeart Of Midlothian	32	11	6	15	43	44	-1	39

Rangers raise white flag of surrender in Scottish Premiership battle

Rangers failed to strengthen in the January transfer window and whilst some will try and point to executive instability, the board face accusations of giving up the ghost too early this season.

The jury remains firmly out on Patrick Stewart, who oversaw a transfer window where the club added only Lille defender Rafael Fernandes to their ranks.

Whilst the 22-year-old was signed on a loan-to-buy deal, Fernandes hasn’t played under Barry Ferguson after Philippe Clement was sacked despite the interim Rangers manager going to three at the back.

The centre-back is not in the Rangers Europa League squad and faces stiff competition from John Souttar, Leon Balogun, Dujon Sterling, Robin Propper and Clinton Nsiala to even get into a matchday squad, never mind a starting XI. It looks an increasingly ridiculous signing.

Later this month, Rangers fans will grill Stewart at a CEO fans’ forum and it will be a major test of the ex-Manchester United chief’s leadership credentials at Ibrox.

Rangers have routinely failed to take proper advantage of the mid-season transfer window and it shines negatively on Nils Koppen, whose record remains under the microscope.

Oscar Cortes exemplifies Rangers’ wishful transfer business with the club set to pay £4m for the Colombian winger this summer despite the RC Lens loanee playing the sum total of 226 minutes this season, or 2.5 full 90 minute matches.

The Belgian has built an inexperienced squad of under-developed players who do not understand the expectations of Rangers and clearly never believed they could go on and lift the title.

It’s little wonder there’s a growing feeling that the fans are being taken for mugs.

Rangers supporters have been expected to turn up and tune in to a club which is going through the motions at every single level.

Fans have been digging deep into their pockets at a time of financial uncertainty whilst executives have been given the chance to get their feet under the desk in the hospitality lounge and indulge in the prestige of the club’s boardroom.

We’ve been repeatedly told that our transfer dealings are all about a future which looks increasingly bleak – in the short term at least – whilst missing clear and blatant opportunities to make an impact now.

We’ve allowed a culture of failure to seep through every level of the club with our players serving up the worst ever run of home games in Rangers history in front of bumper Ibrox crowds.

We’ve got executives going to war with supporters whilst letting the season slip through their fingers, giving themselves all the time in the world to resolve the club’s rampant instability.

When US investment comes into Rangers, every single expensive coat dining out on the fans’ expense at Ibrox should be on a shaky peg.

It’s increasingly clear that everyone at Rangers has been waving the white flag in the Scottish Premiership for months and it’s a shameful realisation that should shock the Ibrox support.