Keith Jackson has warned Pedro Caixinha that he is one more humiliation away from the sack.
September 23 when Celtic visit Ibrox is a red letter day for the fifth best coach in Qatar provided he manages to negotiate his way through the fixtures before that match.
After unstinting praise and support for Caixinha the defeat from Progres Niederkorn has delivered some reality down Ibrox way with the plans for the season turned upside down in the first week in July.
When Dave King grabbed control of the club in March 2015 sidekick Paul Murray praised the courageous journalism of the Record although it appears that that admiration has cooled in recent times.
Angry fans confronted Caixinha after the defeat in Portugal but it’s unlikely that the board that recruited their manager four months ago will have the courage to hold up their hands to a colossal error of judgement.
After highlighting a run of unlikely circumstances in which Caixinha may turn things round Jackson admits: “Let’s be brutally honest here because after this latest abomination some straight-talking honesty is exactly what is required – it’s looking much more likely Caixinha could be one more humiliation away from losing the job he so covets.
“And, moreover, that the decision to appoint him in the first place was simply a harebrained mistake. A clanger of enormous proportions which could end up leaving the Ibrox recovery on hold for years and years to come.
“Certainly, now that Rangers are out of Europe and reduced to a state of shame, it’s getting harder and harder to hold out much hope at all for this manager, or to believe he is capable of fixing the mess over which he now presides.
“Indeed, the mounting evidence against him suggests there is a far greater chance of more icebergs dead ahead than of captain Caixinha suddenly steering this ship into more tranquil waters.
“Tuesday night was his second Titanic moment in just four months, following the record-breaking 5-1 mauling from Celtic at Ibrox, and if he is to survive this latest disaster movie he will have to make sure there is no part three to complete the trilogy.
“Assuming he steadies the ship over the coming weeks – which is far from certain – on September 23 he will welcome Celtic back across the city. Even if his team does improve before then, should Caixinha end that day on the end of another spanking there will be nowhere left for the Rangers board to turn. They will have to open their eyes and confront the obvious, their own supporters will demand it of them.
“When the boat went down on Tuesday the Portuguese was left standing waist-deep in a bush, attempting to calm an angry mob by talking to them about the merits of ‘offensive positional transitions’.”
Jackson adds: “If Caixinha is to turn this mood around he has to learn quickly that even if tactical hocus-pocus and power-point presentations were good enough for the three-man selection committee who appointed him, it will not wash with fans who know the difference between gimmicks and good management.
“Banning green boots and having motivational banners all over the inner sanctums of Ibrox and Auchenhowie might seem like an easy way to pander to the masses but if Professor Pedro wants to be a true people pleaser then he will have to go down a much more conventional, pragmatic route. Winning enough football matches to stay on Celtic’s coattails when the league season opens up would seem like a logical start.”