Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd was left furious at the massive difference between the Gers and rivals Celtic following their 3-0 defeat to the Hoops on Sunday.
Rangers lose 3-0 at Celtic
Philippe Clement's side had a chance to go ahead of their rivals at Parkhead, but once the final whistle blew, they found themselves five points adrift in the battle for Scottish Premiership glory. Despite some promising openings in the early exchanges, Rangers were let off the hook after Kyogo Furuhashi saw a goal disallowed, but they didn't learn their lessons and were 2-0 down in a flash.
Celtic continued to be the better team after the interval and Callum McGregor completed the scoring at Parkhead, with Clement and his players having to accept their fate. It was a worrying afternoon and it left many supporters seething after the game, not least one high-profile pundit.
Boyd explains gap between Rangers and Celtic
Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, a ranting Boyd claimed that not a single Rangers player would get in the Celtic team currently, describing the gap between the teams as "embarrassing" and telling fans to "wise up" about just how far behind they still are.
"How many of that Rangers team would get in the Celtic team? None. And that is where you are trying to get to. None of them would get anywhere near it. You've got a captain – I know James Tavernier has had his critics over the years – go and show a two minute clip of why Celtic totally dominated that game. It was summed up within two minutes. James Tavernier labouring back when he lost the ball in the middle of the pitch, to Kyogo running the full length to tackling Tom Lawrence. That is the difference.
"Celtic make things happen, Rangers hope things happen. All this 'we are improving, we are improving' it is about time people wise up and realise this isn't going anywhere fast. That was embarrassing today."
Opinion may be split when it comes to Boyd's comments, with some agreeing and others feeling they are too strong, but there is clearly still a gulf in class between Rangers and Celtic, despite so many new signings arriving at Ibrox since the end of last season.
As Boyd alludes to, it was perhaps naive for some to believe that the gap between the two sides had narrowed during the summer, with Celtic a more experienced and quality-laden outfit that feels more balanced and settled.
There should still be plenty of hope about Rangers having a positive season, despite their early disadvantage behind Celtic, but Sunday's defeat was a sobering afternoon that showed why Clement's side should always have been viewed as second favourites for the title.
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Once the new additions grow accustomed to one another, there is every chance that the Gers will click, though, so all hope should not be lost after one defeat away to a good team.