It has been a tough week for Rangers.
Having previously looked to be in a stable positions as they attempted to cement their position as the top team in Scotland, they have been thrown into flux by Steven Gerrard's departure. Their future now perhaps looks less certain under new boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
His move to Aston Villa was an unexpected one, especially when you consider that the former Liverpool captain had waved away any speculation linking him with a move away from Ibrox.
Only a few weeks ago, he dismissed any suggestions he could leave the club, labelling a query about his future as a 'silly question'.
"Do I look happy? Do I look settled?"
Something tells us Rangers boss Steven Gerrard isn't tempted by a move away from Ibrox 😏
🎙 @Sports_EmmaD #UEL pic.twitter.com/fcOcWth6tB— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 21, 2021
Do I look happy?
Don't ask me silly questions then.
Of course, it turned out to be not so farfetched.
While Villa would get off to a perfect start under their new manager with a 2-0 win over Brighton yesterday, Rangers would have no such luck in their manager's first game in charge this afternoon.
They would fall to a 3-1 defeat at home to Hibernian in today's Scottish League Cup semi-final, finding themselves three goals down inside the opening 40 minutes.
What's worse, members of the Hibs squad were even aiming cheeky digs at Rangers and their former manager in the post-match interviews.
Defender Ryan Porteous would poke fun out of Gerrard's 'silly question' comment during his interview with Premier Sports.
🟢 @HibernianFC's Martin Boyle and Ryan Porteous react to their Premier Sports Cup Semi Final win over Rangers
"Do we look happy? Don't ask silly questions then!" 🗣️😂 pic.twitter.com/3RQle5KNCg— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) November 21, 2021
File this under Banter Years. pic.twitter.com/7FbhLESUOR
— Fitzy (@Fitzy__07) November 21, 2021
Porteous has some previous with Gerrard, with the Englishman last month blasting his track record of producing dangerous tackles against his side.
We imagine that made today's victory all the sweeter.
Rangers will now turn their attention to league proceedings, where they currently hold a four-point advantage over Celtic in the table. We imagine their Old Firm rivals will be hoping to take advantage of their current instability in the weeks ahead.
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