IT is said that a picture says a thousand words. In this case, it was a sound that told the whole story at Ibrox.

The outpouring of anger, of despair, laid bare the feelings of a crowd that have had enough of this season, had enough of some of those that wear their jersey.

The gap to Celtic at the top of the Premiership now stands at 13 points. There is nothing unlucky about it for Rangers.

As the small band of Hamilton fans celebrated a famous victory – earned thanks to David Moyo’s second half strike – the Rangers support vented their fury. Those that stayed until the bitter end did so only to make their feelings clear.

When Rangers produced their remarkable comeback to beat Braga a fortnight ago, Ibrox bounced and celebrated a famous win. The atmosphere here was somewhat different, though.

The victory in Portugal seems such a long time ago already and the European achievements cannot mask the dross that has been served up domestically for too long.

There was an air of despondency around the place as the punters took their seat. Many would have done so out of a sense of loyalty to Gerrard after sustained debate about his long-term future in the aftermath of the defeat to Hearts.

Gerrard had reaffirmed his commitment to Rangers on Tuesday morning and the majority would have appreciated the sentiment and been hearted by the words. An applause in the eighth minute as a show of support didn’t really catch on and was more cringeworthy than inspiring, right enough.

It was symptomatic of the evening. The loss at Tynecastle last weekend was the lowest of the campaign for Gerrard but this will surely run it close as his side produced a lamentable display and suffered an embarrassing defeat.

The debate over his position won’t subside as a result but the end is now approaching for many of his players. Some are simply not up to standards, while others cannot handle the demands and are incapable of returning Rangers to the top of Scottish football.

Gerrard and his players can’t say it, but all the fans are thinking it. The final day of the campaign now can’t come quickly enough for Rangers and that moment will mark the end of many Ibrox careers.

This wasn’t exactly a rousing occasion for Rangers to return to action but it should have been a straightforward enough win. As usual, chances were created and passed up, though.

This game really should have been won by the break but when Accies scored just after it there was only going to be one winner as Rangers crumbled under the self-inflicted strain.

It need not have been that way but possession wasn’t turned into goals once again as Rangers pressed and probed, or perhaps plodded, and failed to find a finishing touch.

Ianis Hagi had two attempts as he flicked the ball over his head and over the bar before collecting a lovely dinked pass from Steven Davis and being denied by Luke Southwood at the near post.

News of Livingston’s equaliser against Celtic would have filtered around the stands but it barely registered in terms of the atmosphere. There was no roar of encouragement as the game continued in the familiar rhythm of Rangers’ attack versus Accies’ defence.

That wasn’t an unusual challenge for Gerrard’s side to face but it is one they have found difficult to overcome at various stages of a frustrating campaign. Once again, they couldn’t find the breakthrough.

A neat move involving Glen Kamara and Aribo gave Florian Kamberi a sight of goal, but Southwood was equal to his effort with a smart stop to his right. The Albanian internationalist fired his next shot over the bar and his third chance came to an unsuccessful end as another promising attack involving Aribo and Alfredo Morelos culminated in a weak finish from Kamberi. It was one of those nights and it would only get worse.

The near miss theme continued after the interval as Morelos hit the bar with a close-range header and James Tavernier somehow diverted a Barisic cross over with the target there to be hit.

Soon, Ibrox turned sour. Allan McGregor made a terrific save to deny Marios Ogkmpoe but Rangers were masters of their own downfall once again as shambolic defending from Connor Goldson and Tavernier allowed Moyo to poke the ball into the corner of the net.

Ryan Kent and Jermain Defoe were introduced but Rangers were desperate as they somehow searched for a way back into the game. With every loose pass and failed attack, the moans and groans understandably grew more vociferous as a side that have wilted under pressure too often looked like completely collapsing.

Tavernier was replaced by Brandon Barker in Gerrard’s final switch. Rangers needed a hero but few, if any, looked capable of standing up to be counted.

There was a sense of inevitability about the final minutes. The goal was never coming and Rangers were not going to win here.

The final whistle put Ibrox out of its misery and gave supporters a chance to make their feelings clear. It should ring in the ears for quite some time.

Come the end of the campaign, many will never hear it again as Rangers and Gerrard prepare for a defining summer in so many respects. The end is nigh, and time will tell for who.