The result represents the Light Blues’ ninth consecutive game without a win, equalling their worst-ever sequence of results that was last achieved in Season 1888-89.
League tables do not lie - Rangers now lie FIFTH in the title race, as close to bottom club Livingston as they are to leaders Hearts.
One man, and one man alone is responsible for the abomination that has become the current season - Chairman David Murray. It is now clear that the club is rotten from the top down - and at the very top stands a Chairman who took Rangers to the very brink financially. David Murray is failing Rangers Football Club with his inaction.
Beleaguered Manager Alex McLeish made five changes to his injury-ravaged team with Fernando Ricksen, Bob Malcolm, Peter Lovenkrands, Steven Thompson and Thomas Buffel replacing Barry Ferguson, Alex Rae, Hamed Namouchi, Franny Jeffers and Ross McCormack.
There was a healthy travelling support to back a visiting team with two former Rangers players in their ranks – Russell Latapy and Darryl Duffy – and it was the ‘Bairns’ who made all the early running, Latapy sending a twenty-yard free-kick inches wide in ten minutes.
Twelve minutes later Falkirk carved open the home defence – Latapy’s pass freeing both Duffy and Alan Gow only for Waterreus to deny them.
Almost immediately afterwards Vitor Manual Santos sent a 25-yard shot from a Duffy lay-off just wide.
Rangers at last mounted an attack worthy of the name in 27 minutes – Lovenkrands being released by Thompson only to see his effort blocked by goalkeeper Matt Glennon, and the post to deny him from the rebound.
The deadlock was broken on the half-hour, and somehow it was appropriate, given Rangers’ recent goalscoring woes, that it was an own goal from Craig Ireland that gave the Ibrox men the lead. Buffel, a welcome return from long-term injury absence, created space on the left before sending over a cross that was headed into his own net by the ‘Bairns’ defender.
Five minutes later a piece of brilliant skill by Buffel took two defenders out of play – but when the Belgian Internationalist squared for the unmarked Thompson his shot was cleared off the by Ireland.
It was an appalling miss by the centre – but the interval arrived with Rangers one goal ahead, and a magnificent display of banners lifted the 48,042 crowd at the interval – Jock Wallace and Davie Cooper being prominent.
Rangers restarted on the offensive – Ricksen’s 25-yard shot being spilled by Glennon four minutes in, only for the ball to be scrambled clear.
It was 2-0 in 54 minutes when Lovenkrands rifled the ball home from the penalty spot after Kenny Milne had felled Chris Burke.
Ten minutes later the superb Buffel was substituted by Jeffers, the Belgian going off to a well-deserved standing ovation.
It was clearly a change made with a view to Tuesday, given that this was Buffel’s first game in two months – but from that moment on Rangers would fall apart.
Falkirk reduced the deficit in 68 minutes when Gow curled home a twenty-yard shot from a Pedro Moutinho pass.
It was the visitors’ first shot on target of the game – yet unbelievably two minutes later the scores were level when Moutinho turned home a Gow cross.
Rangers were on the ropes now, with Falkirk looking likely to take the lead every time they crossed the halfway line, with both Latapy and Duffy outstanding.
Gow’s twenty-yard free-kick in 75 minutes was beaten out by Waterreus, yet Rangers were denied a second, and stonewall penalty seven minutes later when an Andrews header released Thompson clean through on goal, only for Milne to upend him. It was a certain spot-kick, and a clear red card, yet incredibly Referee Ian Fyfe waved play on.
The final whistle brought forth a crescendo of booing, and individual players were also jeered as they left the field of play.
Afterwards, a hapless McLeish summarised:
"The loss of the lead was unimaginable. The fans’ reaction was understandable. A certain nervousness led to the loss of the goals. Dado Prso is a long shot for Tuesday."
Thus Rangers have now drawn twice with promoted Falkirk, and have surrendered two-goal leads to both Livingston and Falkirk. Still, there will probably be the opportunity to play both these sides twice more in League games before the season is out.
Is there a buyer out there who would rescue the club from the catastrophe that is looming ever closer under David Murray’s leadership? All friends of Rangers must hope and pray that there is, for under the present owner's direction Rangers are surely heading for disaster.
RANGERS Waterreus; Hutton, Andrews, Kyrgiakos, Murray; Burke, Ricksen, Malcolm, Lovenkrands (McCormack 75); Buffel (Jeffers 64), Thompson
UNUSED SUBS Klos, Fanfan, Smith, Namouchi, N’Guessan
FALKIRK Glennon; Lawrie, Ireland (McPherson 38), Rodrigues, Milne; Santos, Scally, Latapy, Moutinho (O’Neil 75); Duffy, Gow
UNUSED SUBS Ferguson, McBreen, McStay, Allison, Mesaoudi
REFEREE Ian Fyfe