As Rangers stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Motherwell at the weekend, Ibrox gaffer Steven Gerrard was clear that this was two points dropped.
In Scotland – and whilst most fans don’t want to hear this – there are times when not losing a game is a positive and a point can be gained rather than two recklessly thrown away.
But at Ibrox on Sunday, given Rangers’ dominance there is really no other way to describe it; this was an opportunity to deliver a more emphatic scoreline and performance missed.
In a stadium where the Ibrox side barely shipped a goal let alone a point last season, the side’s increasing passiveness and apparent fragility was once again on show.
Rangers have not had their absence problems to seek, but at this stage in September there’s still some debate over whether we’ve at any point looked like our normal selves.
There’s a positive energy about Motherwell right now but even the most ardent Steelman or woman will admit the Fir Park club have played better against the Bears and lost.
Despite this stuttering start – which has seen Rangers lose an unbeaten domestic record and stumble into the Europa League – the Gers are in a pretty good place.
Yes, Steven Gerrard’s side lost their Europa League Group Stage opener to a Lyon, but they’re undoubtedly a very talented side and Rangers’ progress will be defined against Sparta and Brondby.
Domestically, there’s a real feeling that there are many gears Rangers can still go up through as the calendar gets busier.
Our status as league leaders is undoubtedly deceptive as to the standard of our performances but Rangers fans can take solace in this fact.
Even without getting out of second gear – and the clutch jamming a few times as we tried to switch up to third – there is no genuine competition to our status as Scottish Champions.
Celtic – for all that free-flowing Angeball we’ve been told to run scared of (no laughing at the back) – are in many ways worse-off than they were last season.
They lost their third straight Premiership away game on the bounce against Livingston – six in seven in total for the Second Coming – and I think it’s hard to argue against the notion they’ve downsized from the last campaign.
The only side at the moment showing an ounce of threatare Hibs but as we’ve seen so many times before, the teams outside the Old Firm lack the gumption, belief and squad depth to go the distance.
Rangers then – despite so far chugging on by without really breaking a sweat – remain in pole position and can zoom off into the distance if they find their form in the weeks to come.
Rangers fans might’ve been disappointed in the wastefulness of their side’s performance this weekend but the time-wastefulness of Motherwell has drawn some criticism.
