Joey Barton’s response when asked if Rangers were strong enough to challenge Celtic

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Ibrox outfit Glasgow Rangers failed to challenge Old Firm rivals Celtic for the Scottish Premiership title this season.

Glasgow Rangers won automatic promotion from the Scottish Championship to the Scottish Premiership at the end of last season.

Many Ibrox faithful thought that the Gers would be able to compete with Old Firm rivals Celtic for the league title.

Of course, the Bhoys had (and have) the better squad, but Rangers had make some good signings in the summer ranger window.

Mark Warburton had done a wonderful job at Rangers during the 2015-16 season, and the English manager was expected to make the team competitive enough to at least give Celtic a run for their money.

Brendan Rodgers’s side were always going to be favourites for the Scottish Premiership and they eventually won the title with ease, but it did come as a surprise that Rangers failed to challenge them at all.

Warburton, now in charge of Nottingham Forest in the Championship in England, parted company with the Gers in February, and his successor, Pedro Caixinha, could guide the Glasgow giants to only third in the table.

Joey Barton, who is set to leave Premier League club Burnley in the summer, joined Rangers in the summer of 2016.

The 34-year-old former Newcastle United and Manchester City midfielder parted company with the Ibrox club in November 2016.

The Englishman has admitted that Rangers’ squad was not strong enough to challenge Celtic, but he has defended the Gers’ ambition of winning the Scottish Premiership title.

“No,” Barton told former Celtic striker Chris Sutton when asked on BT Sport’s Facebook page (live broadcast from 2pm, Sunday, May 21, 2017) if Rangers’ squad was strong enough to challenge the Bhoys.

During the discussion, Barton said that Rangers “are an ambitious football club who have had their pride taken away from them”.

“Let’s be realistic about it,” added the Englishman. “You have to try, if you are Rangers, to take Celtic on and win it. It goes a lot deeper than what is rational.”