Given the shameful scenes after Sunday’s Old Firm derby, it was somewhat inevitable the match itself would be lost amid the fallout.
The woeful lack of quality on show from both sides had made it an instantly forgettable affair in any case.
Much like the first league derby of the season, at Ibrox last August, the game was so ugly it could have cracked mirrors.
And the chaos that ensued shortly after Celtic won the penalty shootout doesn’t give Danny Rohl and his Rangers players a free pass.
The Ibrox side were awful. Completely and utterly toothless, they had no cutting edge whatsoever. Not that the visitors were much better in that regard, they were just as poor.
However, the onus was on Rohl’s team to go out and win the game. They were strong favourites against a Parkhead outfit missing several key players.
Rohl’s men were overwhelming favourites to beat Celtic, but they bottled it on Sunday
No Callum McGregor, no Kieran Tierney, no Arne Engels, no Cameron Carter-Vickers, no Alistair Johnston, no Jota.
That’s six players who would have beenGa guaranteed starters had they been fit and available. In other words, half a team missing – and Rangers *still* couldn’t get the job done.
The absence of McGregor, in particular, should have been a massive boost to the home side given how influential he has been in these matches over the years.
Rangers blew a two-goal lead against Celtic in the Premiership the previous weekend. Sunday was actually even worse.
Rohl’s men bottled it in the league game and they bottled it at the weekend. They are now staring down the barrel of a trophyless season – and it’s the German who has to come under scrutiny.
He was backed with significant investment in January to sign the likes of Tuur Rommens, Tochi Chukwuani, Ryan Naderi and Andreas Skov Olsen.
The fact that Rangers have only four wins in their last 10 matches in all competitions does not speak of a team who are sprinting towards the finish line.
Instead, it suggests a team and a manager who have choked at the worst possible moment. Rohl can dismiss the questions about his team’s mentality all he wants. The evidence is plain for all to see.
Rohl and Mikey Moore cut disconsolate figures as Rangers lose penalty shootout to Celtic
Over the past six weeks, Rangers have dropped points away to Hibs, away to a Motherwell team who were down to ten men, and away to a Livingston side who are bottom of the table.
Those three matches represented a stumble, without being fully catastrophic. But the last two games against Celtic have pretty much killed Rangers’ season stone dead.
Rohl has done a lot of good work since he took charge last October. He has brought a sense of structure and organisation to the club. He has made the team competitive again.
Yet that in itself has not been enough. He had a good opportunity to win a league and Scottish Cup double this season – and he’s blown it against one of the worst Celtic teams in history.
What does that say about his long-term credentials as Rangers manager? Is he really the man to take the club forward and to start winning trophies on a regular basis once more?
In terms of the January signings, Rommens looks like a terrific acquisition at left-back. That’s £3million well spent.
Chukwuani and Naderi were signed for £4m and £5m respectively. Both have had some promising moments so far and could develop into good players.
They are part of a long-term project under Rohl but, when the manager is given £12m to spend in January, it’s not unreasonable to expect a trophy to be delivered at the end of the season.
Especially when you throw Skov Olsen into the mix. He was supposed to be the marquee blockbuster signing who would fire Rangers to glory.
Disgraceful scenes at end of match overshadowed a match which was poor in quality
As stated in this column a fortnight ago, he has been a massive disappointment. The two games against Celtic were a chance for him to finally show what he is all about, yet he was largely anonymous.
The prospect of Rangers paying the £8m needed to sign him from Wolfsburg simply cannot be justified on the basis of what he has shown so far.
There will be another major recruitment drive in the summer. Rohl will be backed with a level of investment that will make the squad unrecognisable come the start of next season.
He will also benefit from having the chance to get a full pre-season under his belt and to further develop his style of play.
However, what has happened over the past few weeks, culminating in the two matches against Celtic, has raised serious doubts in the mind of some supporters.
He has bottled it in the club’s two biggest games of the campaign. For that reason alone, his card will be marked come the start of next season.
Rangers have spent just over £40m since the takeover last summer, with the obvious intention of trying to win silverware.
Barring a miraculous turnaround in the league, the way Rohl’s team have faltered over these past few weeks will be a major blot on his copybook.
There’s only one currency that matters as Rangers manager – and that’s winning trophies. Rohl is a thoroughly decent guy who has done a lot of good things since taking charge.
But is he a winner? It’s the one major question yet to be answered.
