Rangers reaction: Celtic title win will be on van Bronckhorst, why he still has credit in bank, Kemar Roofe recovery

Despite their last flickering hopes of successfully defending the Premiership title now all but snuffed out, Rangers can still make a tumultuous season one of the greatest in their 150-year history.

Deep down, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his players knew their prospects of overhauling Celtic in the title race had effectively evaporated long before they travelled across Glasgow on Sunday for the final Old Firm showdown of the campaign.

The Dutchman has to accept responsibility for the now all but inevitable outcome of Celtic being crowned Scottish champions this month. He inherited a four-point lead at the top of the table when he replaced Steven Gerrard as manager last November, stretched it to six points before the winter break but has since overseen the inconsistency which accommodated a relentless surge from Celtic to gain the six-point advantage they now hold with just three rounds of fixtures remaining.

Rangers performed well at Celtic Park in another compelling clash of the great rivals and looked the likelier side to win the game in the second half after Fashion Sakala had cancelled out Jota’s first half opener for the hosts.

But just as they have done previously under van Bronckhorst in the league since the turn of the year, when dropping crucial points in draws against Ross County, Dundee United and Motherwell, the Ibrox side could not take the chances which came their way to secure a victory they would have merited on the balance of play.

Salvation and a whole lot more is within Rangers’ grasp when they return to action at Ibrox on Thursday.

If losing their status as domestic top dogs won’t be easily shrugged aside by their supporters, it will dramatically diminish in significance if van Bronckhorst’s squad