After the turning point comes the tipping point. Cast your mind back to a 1-1 home draw against Kilmarnock, back on 26th August. Here's what we had to say then:
We are a long way from there being a serious turning point on Mark Warburton dividing the support or having fans turn on him, but tonight feels like the end of a long honeymoon. It is no longer the automatic sign of a roaster to criticise the manager at all, and deservedly so.
Exactly two months later, Rangers ended up drawing at home again, this time to St Johnstone. Here's what we had to say:
If Twitter is anything to go by (and to be fair, it rarely is) then tonight has been a major turning point in folk's faith in Warburton.
— Battle Fever (@BattleFeverOn) October 26, 2016
And now, we come to tonight. To quote Arthur Schopenhauer (aye, we're in that kind of mood), first, the truth is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Kilmarnock, St Johnstone, Hearts, he didn't add.
It's strange, because tonight is probably the most forgivable result of the three games. But it was the least forgivable performance. Rangers ended last season as a young, hungry team that played attractive football, dominated games, scored goals, but had trouble defending. Since then, as we've progressed through the season, rather than finding the final piece of the puzzle, we've gradually lost everything we were previously able to do well, piece by piece. We've careened through the season shedding vital parts like a clown car, and at Tynecastle tonight, the wheels finally came off, and the whole thing shuddered to a sad halt. There was nothing in the way of postives. Nothing to take away. Nothing that we learned from, or ever will. And as a result, nothing to give us any belief that Mark Warburton can turn this round anymore. At that point, the questions about replacements, timing, and whatever else become academic. Mark, thanks for the memories, but it's time to go.