A crestfallen Michael Beale waved a slimly-defiant banner at the watching world as Rangers’ deeply under pressure manager finally broke his silence after Aberdeen and inferred he is not resigning and will be in charge in Cyprus when Rangers travel to Limassol.

Despite confirming yet more injuries (Ryan Jack and Ridvan are once again unavailable) the manager hinted at no resignation on his part and while expressing ‘disappointment’ at the result today could offer no answers whatsoever.

He looked absolutely devastated, much like the fans in fairness, that his dream job, his Rangers adventure is absolutely collapsing around him, and despite some tentative optimism about four clean sheets in a row and four wins as well, there’s no doubt a 7-point deficit after just 7 games is firing material.

This isn’t title-winning form, and he’s not built a title-winning Rangers side at all.

Instead, sadly, Beale has ripped apart all that was good about Rangers last season (not a massive amount but there were slivers) and replaced it with expensive and soulless rubbish with no real heart and a distinct lack of ability.

If ever a manager (or coach, let’s face it) was deeply out of his depth, it was the shocked-looking rabbit in headlights of Michael Beale who spoke to Rangers TV following a dire afternoon in Govan.

There were no answers, just pain, just solution-less suffering from a manager who absolutely does not know what he is doing, regardless of what certain pro-Rangers Ibrox mouthpiece publications try to claim.

It has completely failed, and Michael Beale’s position is untenable. He knows this himself – because despite that little run recently, they really did only paper over the cracks.

Aberdeen exposed the real Rangers as it is under Beale, a spineless rabble with no guts and which feels nothing like the Rangers that older fans, yours truly, expects to see proudly wearing the Light Blue.

This is just a midtable club right now, with a feel of little better than being Hearts, because quite frankly while we’re a massive team and a huge support, the players are just completely rubbish and the manager is drowning.

The product isn’t matching the reputation.

And Beale knows it.

The end is surely nigh.