It wasn’t supposed to be like this, just one month into the season and two weeks after Eindhoven, there is a feeling of indifference toward the postponed game against Aberdeen, which should have taken place on Saturday.
The reason for the free weekend is a much different story of course, due to the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
In the aftermath of that seismic event for public life in the UK, football authorities in Scotland followed the lead of their English counterparts in postponing all scheduled games this weekend, whilst other sports such as cricket and rugby are set to play on.
There is a debate to be had with that one, in line with paying respects to the late monarch, but what is certain is that Rangers won’t be playing at Pittodrie.
Pessimism
The terrible displays of the last two games and those humbling 0-4 defeats on the big stage against Celtic and Ajax, respectively, have cast a huge shadow over this season at such an early stage and with it, the reign of Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
The dispirited, flat, insipid way that Rangers approached the Ajax game was very difficult for the supporters to take, specially just two weeks after the high of sealing Champions League qualification in Eindhoven. The answers and communication in general from the manager have been unconvincing, further signings were clearly required but nothing happened and now the club is in something of a crisis with huge questions to be answered.
With no Aberdeen game, the next one looks like being Napoli at Ibrox (at present) ahead of Dundee United at home which is the last game before the September international window.
Fans, team and manager get to take an extra breath before we get our next response on the pitch. Gio and his coaching team need to work very hard to prove their worth at this difficult moment but that could be in vain if the current crop have decided that they are no longer playing for the boss.
Something has to give in due course.