We discussed yesterday Michael Beale’s demand that Rangers are ‘expected’ to make it to the next stage of the competition in this season’s Europa League, and the fact that failure to do so implied Beale might be looking at his job.

This season, thus far, has been painfully poor. 5 wins of 10 is an abominable level for Rangers, and that two of those losses came in the bread and butter of the league really is well short for any Rangers manager, and fourth place in the league is not an inaccurate reflection of where the side is.

Right now, regardless of money spent, Rangers are at the level of a traditional Aberdeen or a Hearts, an upper midtable SPL team akin to the rather dreadful PLG days of yore, which we’ve previously referred to.

It’s like the early 80s where Rangers really were extremely poor, and it took Lawrence Marlborough’s money then SDM before the side started to overhaul the British game (yes, not just Scottish, but British. Rangers are why English football became a global dominator).

So this is why our expectations are modest.

We will always support this club, but there’s a horrible feeling that Michael Beale (and the former board to an extent) have torn the soul out of the place, and left it without the guts.

There’s no one of a real Rangers persuasion or heritage in any position of gravity at Ibrox now, no one on the board or on the staff, and absolutely no one in the squad aside Ryan Jack.

None of which would matter so much if the team was winning – it could be a team of eleven Ronald McDonalds if they were winning.

But they’re miles off that, and we don’t hold much court in Michael Beale being able to outfox a wily Manuel Pellegrini with a far better squad any more than he could Peter Bosz’ mediocre PSV.

We’d love to be wrong, to look dumb, to look misguided, and to see our side put in a shift and come out with a fine win.

But that seems well beyond us.