WHATEVER words you choose to describe the actions of Jordan Jones and George Edmundson – ranging from selfish to moronic – there is one that should sum up their situation at Rangers: Finished.

There is surely no way back for either at Ibrox, and nor should there be. Jeopardising their own health is reckless enough, but risking the wellbeing of the staff and their Rangers team-mates should see them completely ostracised from Steven Gerrard’s squad.

And all that could only be the precursor to the wider ramifications of their actions after they attended a party on Sunday night. Police Scotland were called to the Glasgow gathering and ten people were issued with Fixed Penalty Notices before the party was dispersed.

When Rangers were informed of the breaches on Monday morning, swift and decisive action was taken, and credit must go to the Ibrox board and the football management for that. Both players were immediately suspended pending an internal investigation and told to self-isolate for the recommended 14 days.

No timescale has yet been finalised for that club probe to take place but the details are already well known and Jones and Edmundson can expect harsh financial penalties to follow as the Ibrox board treat the matter with the utmost seriousness.

It will be up to Gerrard whether he wants to divulge details of the conversations he has had when he speaks to the Press ahead of the Europa League clash with Benfica this week.

This situation will not have impacted on the preparations in terms of his team, but it is an issue he and Rangers could have done without at a time when there are so many positives around, both on and off the park. Gerrard will surely feel hugely let down by two players that he brought to the club and who he has put his faith and his trust in.

This must be the final strike for Jones and he doesn’t deserve another chance, just weeks after he expressed his desire to finally prove his worth at Ibrox. The winger has never really recovered from the idiotic red card he received against Celtic last term and his performances don’t merit a place in a Rangers side that have moved beyond his level.

It is a slightly different situation for Edmundson. At just 23, his best years are certainly ahead of him and while his game time was going to be limited this season, he has promise that could be nurtured and developed. It will be down to Gerrard whether he feels he wants to invest time and effort in Edmundson now, but it looks a long way back from here.

Given where Rangers are and what is at stake this season, how can these two be welcomed back into the dressing room with open arms? Their blatant disregard for the rules could have cost Rangers severely and the trust with their team-mates must have been lost by this sorry episode.

Neither player was in the matchday squad for the win over Kilmarnock on Sunday and the fact that Rangers had a day off on Monday has ensured that a serious situation has not escalated to the point of crisis.

The question of why is only one that Jones and Edmundson can answer but there is no rationale and no excuse for their reckless and shameful behaviour. They have let themselves down, their team down and their club down.

And, what now for Scottish football? The ‘yellow card’ analogy used by Nicola Sturgeon in the aftermath of Boli Bolingoli’s trip to Spain and the ‘Aberdeen Eight’ night out on the town may have been a bit clichéd, but the threat was still there that if everyone across the leagues didn’t play by the rules, it was game over.

Time will tell what impact this situation, one which comes amid investigations into St Mirren and Kilmarnock and their Covid conduct, has in the grand scheme of things. But those in the corridors of power at Hampden could soon have some explaining, and some begging, to do with their Holyrood counterparts as Scottish football fights to keep the lights on.

Recent months have shown that politicians don’t need much of an excuse to have a go at football and take the moral high ground but the actions of a minority should not have serious consequences for the majority that continue to operate safely and responsibly.

The game here must be allowed to continue, even if stricter restrictions soon impact on daily life in Scotland as they will do during the second English lockdown.

But it will be some time before Jones and Edmundson get the chance to pull on their boots. The next time they do, it shouldn’t be in a blue jersey.

Neither should kick a ball for Rangers again and when the transfer window opens in January they should both be shipped out. If the sheer stupidity of their actions on Sunday night hasn’t hit home by now, it will do when they find their Rangers careers over sooner rather than later.

What a waste of talent. What a waste of an opportunity. Just when they needed to go and prove their merits, Jones and Edmundson have shot themselves in the foot and undermined the excellent and thorough work that Rangers have put in for months now.

Dr Mark Waller has been at the forefront of the return to action plans for some time and the guidelines around the Training Centre and Ibrox could not be clearer. Regulations on masks, dining arrangements and travel and hotel plans are strictly enforced and everyone at Rangers is right to feel let down by the actions of Jones and Edmundson.

If both have escaped from their gathering without contracting Covid-19 then they are hugely fortunate, but they will need more than luck to salvage their Rangers careers. The party is over.