Will the real old Rangers please stand up?

If yesterday’s draw taught Ibrox Noise anything, it is that things are starting to feel slightly hopeless.

Gone are the days of titanic Rangers bestriding the SPL like a colossus, with a dominating manager and great players.

Gone are the days we actually got bored of beating St Mirren and Killie 5-0 every week, and gone are the days we resented such teams for being so poor as to stop us being competitive enough to challenge in the Champions League.

Gone are the days we expected to win every trophy and were utterly devastated if we didn’t. Gone are the days when fans expected the best from Rangers, and ran pretenders like PLG out of Ibrox when it was evident Rangers were not good enough under him.

Gone are the days Rangers went to Fir Park, took a 0-2 lead inside the first half, handled the wee response in the second half easily then won out 1-3. Or four.

Gone are the days we expected our manager to be a proper Rangers man, or at least one who spoke like one.

Gone. Are. All. Those. Days.

Today it’s a new era – an era where the Rangers that won has been replaced with one that tries to. Where a manager who knew how to win and spoke with class and assurance has been replaced with one who doesn’t understand what the club means or how to speak in a language fans understand.

It’s an era where the board makes weak appointments throughout every facet of the club, replacing men who had business savvy and Rangers minds with faceless suits and soft loans.

It’s an era where we are hearing about the next rumour of the next manager and the next investment and the hopes of restoring our old Rangers, while the contemporary one continues to flatter us with occasional hope before crushing us with the predictable fall back into mediocrity.

It’s an era where more and more fans defend whoever is manager and whoever the players are despite the product on the pitch and results, and slaughter those who demand more.

It’s not good enough for those who expect better, and those who keep on defending this Rangers are hurting it far more than those who demand a rise back to where we belong.

Sure, we had a decent two and a half months. Fun while it lasted wasn’t it. Real Rangers results are a decent two and a half years and more – it’s not just a flash in the pan.

But now it just feels vacuous. There are some good players in there, no denying that – but a complete lack of consistency and substantial quality, and a defence which shames the great Rangers name.

But, if you want to just moan about how negative this article is and tell us to get behind the team, feel free.

Those of us who expect better really don’t care what you think.