Former Rangers skipper Barry Ferguson admits he did not expect the Gers to be so far behind Celtic this season.
Brendan Rodgers' men are an astonishing 27 points ahead of Rangers, who are now floundering in third spot in the Scottish Premiership and involved in a tussle with Hearts and Aberdeen to finish second.
There was hope at Ibrox that Celtic could be at least pushed for the title, but Mark Warburton's men have fallen well below expectations and are regularly struggling to beat sides both home and away.
Ferguson thinks it was always going to be tough for Rangers in their first season back in the top flight, however even he is surprised by the sheer number of points the Gers trail Celtic.
"As a Rangers manager you're always under pressure. One bad result, people start to have opinions about it", he told BBC Scotland, commenting on Warburton coming in for severe criticism.
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"It's a difficult job.
"It's been a difficult season for them. They've come from the Championship. They had an excellent season last season, they've come up and they've found it a bit tougher, which I thought was going to happen anyway.
"I didn't think they were going to be as far behind Celtic as they are.
"But I still see them finishing second."
Rangers have a crunch match coming this weekend as they host Championship side Morton at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup.
With Celtic so far ahead in the Premiership, the Scottish Cup is Rangers' only chance of finishing with silverware this season.
