The Daily Record has finally admitted that there is a crisis at Ibrox.
There is no sign of a cracked crest to worry their army of readers but the C-word is one that is very, very rarely used by the ailing Glasgow publisher.
Months of fawning coverage followed years of pushing the Continuity Lie were rewarded with a demand for £25,000 for media access to matches and the thoughts of Steven Gerrard.
It seems that no newspaper group has paid up, looking in from the outside it appears that there are some signs of criticism emerging over the direction that the club is going.
Over the last six months the Record has speculated on Gerrard replacing Jurgen Klopp and James Tavernier joining Manchester United but in today’s edition Keith Jackson takes a very different line:
And just like that, a drama has become an early season crisis.
If serious questions were needing asked of Rangers before last night then a third defeat in the space of eight days and the careless loss of a £40million golden ticket to the Champions League, are likely to lead to an early season inquisition for Steven Gerrard and his gun shy players.
They were afforded a heroes welcome back to Ibrox last night but left the field to the sound of furious jeers.
With so much at stake, a spectacular first-leg collapse in Sweden might have been hard enough for these fans to comprehend regardless of it being followed by a first league loss in more than a year at Dundee United at the weekend.
But for Rangers to toss it all away again – a goal up and their opponents a man down before the end of the first half? And with Alfredo Morelos back to his rampaging, uncontrollable best?
No, this one’s going to require a great deal more than just cliched excuses, especially now that boss Gerrard might have to sanction some hefty sales to cover the financial cost of the opportunity which just passed his side by so limply.
On Friday Gerrard has the chance to lift the gloom with a home League Cup tie against Dunfermline.