Rangers’ hopes of becoming champions have now been hugely diminished and it’s difficult to see how they will finish on top

06:30, 29 Apr 2026Updated 09:21, 29 Apr 2026

Content cannot be displayed without consent

In the midst of a title battle it’s simply about the here and now.

With just a few games left in the race? It’s a case of winning at all costs.

Forget performances. Results are the only thing that matters.

We all get it. And it’s understandable, given what’s at stake in the next 18 days.

At this stage, no-one’s really interested in the bigger picture.

But after Motherwell’s victory at Ibrox on Sunday, it might not be a bad idea for those of a Rangers’ persuasion to give what they witnessed some more serious thought.

Not least the manager, Danny Rohl.

The 3-2 defeat itself was damaging enough. And in the immediate aftermath, the headline – quite rightly – was the hammer blow to the club’s title bid.

It was a dagger through the hearts of Rangers fans.

When Blair Spittal then hit a late winner in the Edinburgh derby, the blade was twisted for maximum effect.

Rangers’ hopes of becoming champions have now been hugely diminished and it’s difficult to see how they will finish on top.

Not for the first time, it appears they will fall short before the prizes are handed out.

When it gets to crunch time, they’ve too often failed to deliver. These punters have been here before, of course.

(Image: SNS Group)

But incredibly, that wasn’t my biggest takeaway from Ibrox on Sunday.

What really hit home was something that should worry Rohl and the fans even more.

For the fourth time this season, Motherwell has been the superior side in their games against Rangers.

In the last 40 years, can you EVER remember that happening before?

But it’s true. On the opening day of the season at Fir Park, ex-Gers boss Russell Martin took a flame-thrower to his squad at full-time after they were lucky to leave Lanarkshire with a point.

At Ibrox early in Rohl’s reign, Rangers managed to see off The Steelmen thanks to a late Thelo Aasgaard goal.

But again, most of the quality that day came from the visitors.

Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou felt they deserved a stonewall penalty, claiming he’d take that decision to his grave.

In their third encounter, 10-man Well were aggrieved at only getting a draw.

And on Sunday, they outplayed Rangers on their own patch and finally got what they deserved with a victory.

The way Askou set up his team was outstanding. So much so, it could have been 4-0 at half-time.

Rangers head coach Danny Röhl and Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou, right, during Sunday’s clash

Yet again, players earning a tenth of their opponents’ wages performed better.

After the game at Fir Park in February, Rohl and James Tavernier both confessed that they knew Motherwell would have more of the ball.

Fans weren’t happy with that acceptance and you can understand why.

But if that was the case, why did the manager choose to go with only two midfielders – Nico Raskin and Tochi Chukwuani – against their three on Sunday?

It was asking for trouble. Elliot Watt, Lukas Fadinger and Callum Slattery overran that pair.

Even Well’s keeper, Calum Ward, is far more adept with the ball at his feet than Jack Butland which is something else Rangers will have to evaluate in the summer.

Now, back in the day when Gers were winning leagues and trophies, this might happen once a season.

When they were at their most successful, it would be unthinkable to play second fiddle to a side like Motherwell, even on a rare occasion.

But four times? That’s unacceptable for any Rangers side.

And you know why? Because it wasn’t just in possession where they came up short.

The most glaring difference, especially in a first-half dominated by Motherwell, was the contrast in work-rate.

THAT is what allowed Askou’s team to play the way they did.

You need to run hard and fast to create space, angles and opportunities to score.

In that first 45, the number of bodies in claret and amber shirts being untracked as they ran forward was staggering.

And this was supposed to be a Rangers side that was hungry to go and win a title.

What’s that line about hard work beating talent when talent doesn’t work hard?

Rangers manager Danny Rohl leads the Rangers players in applauding the fans

Not that Motherwell are short of talent. Far from it. But that summed up Sunday’s game.

And this should bother Rohl going forward.

Irrespective of where Rangers finish in this title race, ahead of NEXT season when he’ll be under major pressure to win silverware, it’s an issue that has to be addressed.

Askou might not be at Fir Park by then. But if the Danish coach ends up at Celtic Park instead – that might be an even bigger concern for Rohl and Rangers, given what we’ve seen in their games against Well.

So, away from potential title talk and the mayhem awaiting us in the next few weeks, the German must find time to ponder a few things ahead of the summer.

Can these players improve sufficiently on the ball to a level where it isn’t the norm to have Motherwell pass them off the pitch?

And more importantly, are they willing to put the graft in which will make that process a whole lot easier.

You can tell he has the appetite for it.

But whether these players do is a question that – right now – remains unanswered.

And if it turns out to be no, they’ll wait much longer than May 16 before they’re champions again.