As Rangers fans lick their wounds following the Old Firm defeat to Celtic, it’s given them a painful opportunity to reflect on a season that has been nothing short of a bitter disappointment.
So far this Rangers side have failed to deliver as the pressure mounts and the campaign is threatening to dwindle out with a whimper after promising so much.
We spoke before the break about a season-defining April but an injury to Alfredo Morelos has clearly dented the confidence in both the squad and support to deliver on three fronts.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst insists the league isn’t over – Rangers fans aren’t so sure – whilst the Europa League and Scottish Cup remain up for grabs.
But that Alfie injury and the uninspired display against Celtic means Gers fans – this one included – are struggling to believe in a team and management who have failed to deliver this season.
The Scottish Premiership collapse, a 12-point swing which moves the Gers from six in front to six behind, will be a costly one in the end due to the Champions League riches that lie in wait.
After all of Rangers’ hard work, they’ve gifted Celtic a £30m euro jackpot not through defeats to their rivals but via draws with Motherwell, Hearts, Ross County and Dundee United.
But this season is defined by missed opportunity and insipid displays, starting all the back in the summer when the Gers crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Malmo.
Rangers surrender potential £60m Celtic advantage
That means Rangers have gone from a potential £60m advantage and position of strength over their rivals to £30m behind in a manner of months that have kicked us back behind in Glasgow.
It has been a monumental failure of governance at Ibrox but the playing staff also need to shoulder the burden of responsibility.
It’s been so hard to get excited this season – big European wins aside – and each time the pressure mounts in Scotland this team of bottlers collapse on command.
The Hibs semi-final, still for me the most disgraceful performance of the season, stands as a monumental example of this.
The woeful displays, even in victory, haven’t just scarred the Rangers support who’ve not once laid dow their flags, scarves or banners.
But in failing to properly invest, we lost a manager, the title, and a monumental £60m advantage that could’ve had us setting the foundations for Premiership dominance.
And people wonder why we’re so angry at the club?
Meanwhile, Rangers deserve better than the pacifying soundbites they’re currently getting from manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
