'Soul-searching required after another Rangers failure'

[BBC]

And so another Rangers season comes to a premature end following another failure to put together a 90-minute performance.

Having put in a couple of pretty abject first-half displays in their games against Falkirk and Motherwell, it was imperative they started better against Hearts. And to be fair, they did.

In fact after a fairly even opening to the game, they took control after getting themselves in front and were knocking the ball about nicely, with Hearts unable to get close to them.

I said in commentary they were doing to Hearts what Motherwell had done to them in that first period. It was impressive to watch and with Hearts unable to get possession, it looked as though Danny Rohl's side were going to haul themselves right back into the thick of the title race, just a point behind their opponents and Celtic.

But of course that is not what transpired. Derek McInnes's tactical tweaks at half-time countered Rangers' dominance of midfield and as soon as Hearts got the early second-half equaliser, the momentum shifted and Rangers' title hopes were ended.

The fall-out from that, from a Rangers perspective, has been to apportion blame for yet another hugely disappointing season. Fingers have been pointed at Danny Rohl, at James Tavernier, at Andreas Skov Olsen among others.

Rohl deserves some praise. Firstly for having turned Rangers' fortunes around and got them back involved to the extent that they became many people's favourites to win the league. But also, on the night, his tactics at the outset were spot on. However, his and his players' inability to adapt once Hearts changed their own shape is unacceptable and ultimately, just as he was out-thought by Jens Berthel Askou the week before, he was outdone by Derek McInnes.

Questions are now being asked about his future as Rangers manager. I'll leave that for another week but he and his players have to show a response by taking something off Celtic on Sunday.

I think Tavernier has been unfairly criticised on this occasion, but as the captain of a side that has failed to deliver on another big occasion he will have to accept considerable responsibility.

As for Skov Olsen, he has been a major let-down since arriving to such great fanfare and it seems unthinkable that Rangers would now try to make his move a permanent one.

But it is as a collective that Rangers have failed in the end and there will have to be another period of soul-searching within Ibrox as the owners plot a way forward.

All that remains for this season is to try to overhaul Celtic in second, though that should offer only minimal solace.