'Clear picture' emerging as Rohl's Rangers stumble

"I think the picture goes clearer and clearer for me."

That was the response of Rangers head coach Danny Rohl after his side were held to a 0-0 draw by Falkirk at Ibrox.

A result that ended a four-game winning run in the Scottish Premiership since the German took charge and leaves them nine points behind leaders Hearts having played a game fewer. And seven adrift of Celtic, who occupy second place.

Rangers have now recorded just two league victories in seven games at Ibrox this season, albeit many of those were under previous head coach Russell Martin.

Full-time brought the sound of boos around the, by then, sparsely-occupied stands, after a performance that consistently failed to hit the heights.

Rangers were poor. One vocal voice in the crowd bellowed that it was the worst display of the season. No-one disagreed.

Performances have been underwhelming, in the main, in Rohl's short time in charge with areas of progression not entirely clear despite some positive outcomes.

Was this a reality check?

The 2-1 win over Livingston last weekend was far from convincing.

The denial of a penalty to the visitors felt like one Rangers got away with, Emmanuel Fernandez escaping without punishment after handling in the penalty area with the score at 1-1. But, crucially, Rohl's side won.

After an insipid display against Falkirk, they didn't. And now, having narrowed the gap in the league to a position where they might yet challenge for the title, it has widened once more.

"After six weeks, I have a good overview," Rohl explained, when talking about the squad he inherited. "I know where we are, but it's my job to improve.

"I can't improve it in one week, but my biggest wish is that we look back on one point in the future and say, this was a zero point and now we're building something."

Where to start? Had Rangers found a winner, it would not have been deserved. They rarely tested Scott Bain in goal.

Four changes across the front line didn't work. Oliver Antman was poor. Thelo Aasgaard ineffective. Bojan Miovski equally so. Nedim Bajrami had a few moments but not nearly enough.

Three of that quartet arrived in the summer for combined fees approaching £10m pounds.

Against Falkirk, the players looked reluctant to take responsibility to make something happen. The crowd got on their backs and compounded that.

"This is exactly the point," Rohl conceded. "When you feel 100% confidence, when you are on your highest level, then you make exactly the right decisions.

"This is the moment you see some players think too much, in some moments it's not natural. I think normally after four wins in a row you should be growing in this confidence."

There was so much excitement among supporters when the takeover of Rangers was complete. The new dawn that promised continues to evade the club, for now.

Recruitment in football is paramount. Few would argue the summer window was a success. The recent sacking of sporting director Kevin Thelwell and chief executive Patrick Stewart rubbered-stamped the extent of that failure.

Two of the starting back four against Falkirk are on loan and have failed to impress.

Fernandez, who arrived for a significant fee, has barely featured until injuries forced Rohl's hand.

Young striker Youssef Chermiti missed out through illness but his £8m fee has looked extravagant to say the least.

It's hard to pick out a success... perhaps Djeidi Gassama, but less so of late.

Having had time to assess what he has at his disposal, it seems the head coach has a grasp of the task at hand.

When asked if some players need to show more to convince him they have a long term future at Rangers, he said: "Yes, I think this is also part.

"We have a long December where we have to work with this group, but of course we have also to look at what we can do.

"We have to go the next four weeks with this group. I see positive examples but I see as well players they can't use, at the moment. the opportunities.

Decidedly daunting. The fixture list looks challenging.

Consecutive away trips to Dundee United on Wednesday, then Kilmarnock next Saturday, start December.

An must-win Europa League trip to Ferencvaros follows that. The Hungarian side lie sixth in the table on 11 points. That only serves to remind Rangers of the size of that task, with victory essential to retain the slimmest hope of progression.

Four days later, Hibernian visit Ibrox and may well fancy their chances.

The challenge gets greater with a visit to current league leaders Hearts with two home games against Motherwell and St Mirren concluding the calender year.

On the evidence of Sunday, there will be few who will back Rohl's side to emerge unscathed from that sequence.

The January transfer window opens after that. Fans will be looking for major changes in what is usually a difficult month to do business.

What wriggle room Rangers will have financially is not clear but it seems they will have to maximise that opportunity to the limit.

Former Motherwell and Northern Ireland international Stephen Craigan believes that significant business needs to be done.

"It's crazy to say after spending £30m in the summer, but this Rangers team needs major surgery," Craigan said on Sportsound. "Who would you keep? It looked like 11 individuals put on the pitch for the first time."

Former Rangers striker Steven Thompson agreed.

"There was real positivity over the summer, but it's gone in completely the other direction. Recruitment has been a massive failure.

"The performance was substandard in terms of creativity. Efforts on goal, hardly any. Moments getting you out of your seat, hardly any.

"You heard the displeasure of the Rangers supporters at the full-time whistle and you can't help but agree with them."

Bill: Remember the team we had under Mark Warburton when we got back to the Premiership? I miss that team.

Abernethy: Another dismal performance from Rangers. Defeat in the Old Firm derby looks inevitable. The imminent departure of the 49ers investors cannot be discounted. There is no prospect of European football next season.

Melvin: Could be close to the worst Rangers team ever?

Hamish: Falkirk worthy of their point. No get out of jail free card from the officials for the home team today.

Gabe: Absolutely awful from Rangers again. He's working with a squad that is not near the level to compete, but questions need to be asked about Rohl's tactics and player choices. Baffling at times.

Duncan: Rohl is only a slight upgrade on Martin and his comments about improvement are totally contradictory to the abysmal performances. How on earth can he keep picking the same non-performers? He hasn't done anything significant since taking over and yet he is lauded as a saviour.

David: Toothless up front. Lost Dessers and Igamane, who gave us 35 goals a season between them, and replaced them with inferior strikers.