ALMOST a week on from that 2-0 defeat in the Old Firm game and there are still many questions which remain unanswered.

Did we find out anything we didn’t already know about this Rangers team? The answer is probably not.

I said last week that overall Celtic have the better players and all the money. I felt if Celtic played at all they’d win the game, the only chance is if Rangers took advantage of an off day.

Celtic weren’t fantastic, but they were still far better. Rangers couldn’t get up to the right standard. At half-time with game still 0-0 the manager ‘They had plenty of the game but we are still in this’. That should have spurred them on for a second half performance but it simply wasn’t there.

The first goal was always important and it came from a fluffed ball back into the box and two Rangers players missing the ball completely. As soon as that goes in you could feel the air going out the Rangers support. There was no-way they were coming back from that. The scoreline probably flattered Rangers on the day.

What I want to see is more fight. The big talking point was Scott Brown’s incident with Pedro Caixinha.

It has to be said there was nothing in the alleged elbow from the Celtic captain on Alfredo Morelos. Rather than the manager getting into his players early and trying to get them by saying ‘Look at what Scott Brown did, he’s fighting for his club.’ instead of spending his time arguing on the trackside. By the time that’s done there’s not a lot of time left.

It’s alright being beaten by a side you know is better than you but Rangers know that other teams roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. I would love to see Rangers do that to the bigger teams. You’d like to think more fight from them, it lacked it.

Rangers have decent players in midfield but they don’t have the legs like Celtic. But you need to show a battling side.

Pedro took a wee bit of stick and came out with his usual statements, but he did acknowledge that it’s so important to see if we can come back or not against Hamilton. It was a flash of him having a dig at his players and it’s not before time.

Yes, he’s the man that brought them in and picks the team, but he’s obviously gone through the players. So far, they haven’t delivered and have let him down. The bottom line is down to the players and what’s inside that jersey. He needs to ask them ‘Do you have the bottle to go out there and show why you are playing for Rangers? It’s not good enough and I want more.

They are going to have to show it on tonight because all eyes are on them.

The sad thing for Pedro is every game is a must-win now because if he gets three points the fans think ‘right, here we go’ but if they lose or draw the supporters will be claiming he’s no use.

The Rangers support is a mixed bag when it comes to him and it certainly won’t do him any good. But if they lose tonight at New Douglas Park I don’t think that will be it for the Portuguese. The Rangers board have given him a lot of money to spend and he’s changed the whole club and brought in over half of the first-team squad. You need to stick with that plan, it’s very difficult to then all of a sudden rip it up and start again.

No matter how much time Pedro has and what impact, either big or small, this evening’s result will have on, what I will say is it’s a game the players have to win. This is a huge test for the manager but he’s put pressure on the players for the first time. He’s said ‘I can only coach you during the week, let’s see what you are made of. My job depends on you going out there and do what you are paid to do’.

I’m not convinced he’s lost the dressing room, I’m not hearing that. He’s brought most of them in! The players have to get a grip of themselves and show the manager why he brought them there.

That should be the message today. Nevermind tactics or anything else, you want the players to go out there and prove they are good enough because at times that hasn’t been the case.

They should be to get the better of a Hamilton side who, as we saw at Easter Road earlier in the campaign, can make it difficult for teams. But much like Saturday was all about Celtic showing what they could do, tonight it has to be about Rangers and showing to everyone what they are made of.

For some of the players in the squad, it’s a task they simply must meet.