IT seems scarcely believable now with Celtic just five games away from enjoying one of their most successful seasons ever, but Brendan Rodgers presided over two of the worst results in the history of the Parkhead club shortly after taking over.

Before Champions League qualification, the draws with Manchester City and Borussia Moenchengladbach, the Betfred Cup and Ladbrokes Premiership wins, the 42 game unbeaten domestic run, the five Glasgow derby victories and the record-breaking 5-1 triumph over Rangers at Ibrox, there were defeats and embarrassment.

The 1-0 loss to part-time minnows Lincoln Red Imps over in Gibraltar in Rodgers’s first competitive outing back in July was, by common consensus, the most humiliating since Celtic were formed in 1887.

The 7-0 drubbing by Barcelona in the Nou Camp which followed in September, meanwhile, was the heaviest they have suffered in 55 years of European competition.

It is fair to say, though, that the man in charge has redeemed himself, and then some, since.

It shows that managers can and very often do recover from adverse starts to their tenures. There are, however, several factors which may well prevent Pedro Caixinha, whose Rangers side crashed to their second Old Firm loss in the space of six days on Saturday, from doing so in the months ahead.

Rodgers was a lifelong fan, had a proven track record in British football, inherited a strong squad of international footballers and received significant backing from the board and major shareholder of a stable and well-run club. All of those components have been important in the remarkable campaign Celtic have had.

Caixinha is new to this country and is currently trying to adapt to the unique demands of both the Scottish game and the Govan institution he has joined. On the evidence of the weekend, when he once again got his team selection, formation and tactics badly wrong, he has some way to go until he does so.

Leigh Griffiths, the scorer of a stunning goal, felt that Rangers setting up with a midfield diamond had created space out wide for Celtic. Given that the visitors had once again fielded Patrick Roberts and Scott Sinclair, two of their most skilful and effective players, on the wings it was a catastrophic error.

The Portuguese coach accepted full responsibility for the heavy reverse his charges were on the receiving end of afterwards. That was admirable and will, amid speculation about unrest in the squad over having their summer break cut short, have been appreciated by players who have been savaged both from the stands and in the media in recent days.

But can Rangers really be confident giving Caixinha the funds which he clearly needs to rebuild a squad that is desperately short of the quality required to challenge for major honours this summer? He has still to exhibit that he possesses the necessary qualities to flourish in his role. Will he spend wisely in the transfer market? It remains anybody’s guess.

These are still early days admittedly. He was only appointed back in March. He took over at a club which was struggling for form and had suffered some dire results. Still, it is undoubtedly a major gamble bringing him in and one that it is doubtful the Ibrox club can afford to make due to their ongoing off-field issues.

Rangers are, despite a steadily improving financial performance, still operating at a loss and relying on the benevolence of wealthy supporters Dave King, George Letham, Douglas Park and George Taylor to stay afloat.

Yet, if King continues to ignore the ruling of the Takeover Appeal Board by refusing to offer to buy every remaining share in the holding company for 20p it may have repercussions for an arrangement which the chairman himself has previously admitted is “unsustainable in the long term”.

The South Africa-based businessman, who has now been taken to court over the matter, faces being “cold shouldered” if he refuses to relent. That would prevent any company or individual regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority from acting either for him or any of the companies he works for and will impact upon Rangers going forward. Being listed on the stock exchange, for example, would be an impossibility with him at the helm.

With no end in sight to the stand-off with Sports Direct over their retail agreement and little or no money coming in from the sale of replica strips or official club merchandise, it is very hard to see how Rangers can bridge the gap with Celtic any time in the near or distant future regardless of how well Caixinha fares.

They were bossed and bullied by a vastly superior Celtic side at Ibrox on Saturday. They conceded five goals to their city rivals at home for the first time. Scott Sinclair, Griffiths, Callum McGregor, Dedryck Boyata and Mikael Lustig all netted.

But it could and should have been more. Griffiths, McGregor, Patrick Roberts and Sinclair all passed up chances which they would ordinarily have buried. Rodgers, whose side is on the brink of going the entire 2016/17 season undefeated domestically and winning a fourth treble, admitted the only disappointment was that the scoreline wasn’t even greater afterwards.

Rangers fans were furious with many of the decisions which John Beaton, the referee who was taking charge of his first Glasgow derby, made during the course of an often bad-tempered 90 minutes. But pointing a finger of blame at him was futile after such a resounding defeat. There are far bigger problems at Ibrox than the rulings of the match official just now and they show no sign of going away.