The fallout from what happened at Fir Park on Wednesday night has been nuclear. Social media exploded, whilst TV and radio stations down south had Scottish football at the top of their news agendas.
Yet, perhaps inevitably amid the meltdown, it almost felt like Rangers had been forgotten about. With so much drama and controversy unfolding elsewhere, events at Ibrox became an afterthought.
But Danny Rohl will know by now that you do not get a free pass as Rangers manager. Not when you have just presided over a fourth successive defeat in the league, the club’s worst top-flight run since 1983.
Not when you have just completely and utterly botched a brilliant chance to win the title. And not when you have turned what ought to have been a straightforward farewell to a departing captain into a total shambles.
Informed that he would not be starting the match against Hibs, James Tavernier effectively spat the dummy and pulled out of the squad altogether.
In the end, he had to be coaxed into turning up to collect a memento from John Greig prior to kick-off. Wiping away the tears rather than wearing the jersey one last time, it was awkward to say the least.
Neither James Tavernier or Danny Rohl have covered themselves in glory this week
A debacle that has been poorly handled by all parties, Rohl’s version of events was then given short shrift by Tavernier in an emotional post on social media on Thursday night.
Tavernier admitted that it had not been handled well on all fronts, but claimed he felt ‘deeply hurt and let down’ by the manager denying him the chance to start the match and lead the team out.
It was a personal issue as much as anything, with Tavernier wanting to walk out with his kids as mascots. He and his family were excited about the prospect of doing exactly that.
Why did Rohl not afford him that courtesy? Whatever your views on Tavernier as a player, 11 years of service should surely allow him to leave on his terms.
The game was a dead-rubber. It’s not like starting Dujon Sterling ahead of Tavernier at right-back was going to have a huge bearing on the outcome.
The sensible thing to do would have been to play Tavernier from the start, give him an hour, and then take him off after an hour, allowing him to receive a standing ovation.
When Tavernier announced his decision to leave a few weeks ago, there was a feeling that it caught the club by surprise.
He announced the decision by himself, rather than doing it collaboratively with the club. Hanging him out to dry as they have done is hardly the way to make a point.
This speaks to a wider unrest behind the scenes over recent weeks between the manager, the captain, and the squad as a whole.
Rohl’s handling of this whole affair has exposed his naivety and inexperience as a manager. He is not operating from a position of strength.
Tavernier wiped away tears at Ibrox on Wednesday evening as he said goodbye to the fans
There is a pretty sizeable section of the Rangers support who feel he should be sacked. There was a banner outside Ibrox on Wednesday night calling for his head.
When managers are under this sort of pressure, they need all the goodwill and political capital they can muster.
All Rohl achieved by snubbing Tavernier was to heap more pressure and scrutiny on himself. It generated more negative headlines, which have hardly been in short supply over recent weeks.
There is also now a very real danger that he has lost the dressing room. It was most telling that several Rangers players, past and present, sided with Tavernier and liked his post on social media on Thursday night.
There will inevitably be a clearout in the summer, but not all of these players will leave. Some of them will stay, and some of them will retain the view that the manager shafted a captain who deserved better.
Following conversations with the owners, Rohl spoke earlier this week about having total confidence that he will still be manager come the start of next season.
But that support from Andrew Cavenagh and the board won’t be unconditional. Or, at least, it shouldn’t be.
His position is rapidly becoming untenable. If they were to lose at Falkirk this afternoon, fans will be ready to chase him out the door.
It was after a 1-1 draw at Falkirk earlier this season that Russell Martin needed a police escort to leave the stadium, and he would be sacked later that night.
The feeling from within Ibrox is that the Americans won’t pull the plug on Rohl just yet. But, between results on the pitch and the way the Tavernier situation has been handled, he looks like a busted flush.
Rohl has been assured that he will be in charge next season despite mounting pressure
One of the main crutches that Rohl has always used to support himself is that Rangers were 13 points adrift when he arrived and he dragged them back into the title race.
But that just doesn’t wash any more. They have capitulated since the split. His reputation has absolutely tanked. They are now 11 points adrift of Hearts.
On the back of a £12million spend in January, you cannot possibly dress that up as anything other than failure. Heading into next season, Rohl’s card is marked.
Tavernier has always divided opinion among the Rangers support. Yet, in the popularity stakes, he fares favourably against a failing manager.
That is perhaps the most damning indictment of all against Rohl.
