Glasgow Rangers missed out on the Scottish Cup final as the Ibrox side were beaten by Celtic at Hampden Park.
Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha
Chris Sutton has told the Daily Record that Pedro Caixinha is not the man that Rangers fans should be directing their frustrations at following their disappointing Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic, as chairman Dave King is the only person who can prevent the Old Firm gap getting any larger.
The Gers missed out on a place in the final of the competition as the Hoops ran out comfortable winners at Hampden Park in a game where supporters of the Ibrox side were given very little to get excited about.
Unfortunately for Rangers, the game encapsulated the season in many ways. The Light Blues have come far enough to make the bigger stage, but they have been unable to get that close to Celtic.
But rather than criticise Caixinha following his first taste of managing in an Old Firm game, Sutton suggested that the Portuguese will not be able to close the gap if he is not backed heavily during the summer transfer window.
“There’s no point getting to technical about this in terms of systems, styles of play, etc. The simple fact is that Rangers just aren’t good enough to compete with Celtic,” he told the Record.
Rangers’ Kenny Miller reacts
“We shouldn’t be looking at Pedro – he has been dealt a duff hand.
“Instead look at King because now it’s all down to what he does in the summer. They are miles short and will remain so until the chairman invests significant cash.”
The worry for Rangers fans will be – regardless of the resources that the club have – that their disappointing summer window from last year makes King hesitant about spending the money that is available.
Rangers’ Joseph Dodoo looks dejected
Few of Mark Warburton’s signings from last summer have really improved the squad this season, so King may be wary of enduring another window like that.
But if they are hesitant regarding pursuing Caixinha’s primary targets, then they will surely have a smaller chance of being able to show signs of improvement next season, which may actually also allow Celtic to extend the gap further.
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