Mark Warburton’s Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers were brought back to earth.
Andy Walker has told Sky Sports that Rangers’ 5-1 demolition by Celtic in Saturday’s Old Firm should dissuade the Gers from thinking about winning the Premiership.
It was supposed to be a match in which Rangers showed how close they were to the Hoops in terms of quality, but it went horrendously wrong for Mark Warburton’s side.
Moussa Dembele grabbed a hat-trick and Philippe Senderos – on his debut for the Blues – was sent off for two yellow cards, when the hosts were already 3-1 up.
It is Rangers’ first season back in the top flight after dominating the Scottish Championship last term, and Walker has suggested that challenging Brendan Rodgers’s side, let alone finishing above them, is a bridge too far for now.
“The simple truth is that everyone witnessed a huge gulf in class between Celtic and Rangers at the weekend,” he told Sky Sports.
“That’s the reality. Rangers have just been promoted and in my view, it’s completely unrealistic to ask them to seriously compete for the title.”
In truth, Walker might be right. Perhaps Rangers should adjust their expectations for the rest of the season, despite Warburton signing 12 players during the summer.
The 53-year-old manager brought in the likes of Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar, while Celtic managed to lure Scott Sinclair and Dembele to the green half of the Old Firm divide, and herein lies the difference.
Of course, Warburton’s side can still win the league, and they’re only four points behind Brendan Rodgers and co, but obsessing over catching them could prove counter-productive.
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