As the Romanian goal tally increased, and as the already unforgiving atmosphere around me grew ever more hostile, I felt devoid of any real emotion as Rangers resembled an undisciplined rag-bag of limited ability footballers; unable to master the basics, utterly clueless as to how to use possession creatively, completely unprepared for set-piece manoeuvres - both for and against - while possessing all the verve of a wilting wallflower.
It was a night of misery for the Rangers Family, but while anger was evident at every turn, my own anger was spent within a few weeks of Walter`s return. The realisation that Rangers was not going to be all I wanted it to be finally penetrated, and from that day to this, the joy went out of watching the team.
This is what it must be like watching a loved one living badly; abusing the demon firewater, gambling too much and doing more taking than giving. Advice may be be offered, but when it is repeatedly spurned, a sense of hopelessness, born out of frustration, will surely grow.
It was magnificent to reach the UEFA Cup Final under Walter, and this was a truly great moment in our history. It provided the club with a backdrop that should be a reminder that Rangers will fly at the highest level if we can harness some intelligence and make the club fit for purpose, but in truth, it was a one-off experience and Kaunas brought the club and support back to earth with a bump just a few months later.
Despite the incompetence on show last night, I feel no animosity towards the Rangers players. They were playing to the instructions of the management, and many of them were brought to the club by that same management. I forgive them their shortcomings, but I can no longer tolerate the inadequacies of the man who calls the shots - Walter Smith.
There are severe financial restrictions at Ibrox these days, which is a surprise to no-one, and Walter may feel, privately at least, that he is suffering due to the financial recklessness of former chairman, Sir David Murray - and he is - but when he had money to burn in a previous Rangers life, he was happy to take the plaudits when not a club in the country could match the spending power of Rangers.
The world spins on though, and Walter is experiencing a new football world order, and with Rangers cast as one of the extras, remote from the top table. He isn`t enjoying the experience any more than we are, but while we look for invention, creativity, organisation, preparation, discipline and method in the team, we have a manager in charge who needs cash to assist him in assembling it - and there is none.
Rangers FC now stands at a crossroads, and with uncertainty all around. The ownership of the club is still unresolved, and it`s anyone`s guess how long this situation will linger on. The team is top of the league, but it has struggled to impress and has no strength in depth. We are cash-strapped and struggling, and although we have a new chairman, it is not yet clear how much power he has or how he will choose to wield it.
Predicting the future for Rangers at this time is a leap in the dark, but the club needs change at management level, and even if the new chairman is reluctant to tug the rug from underneath Walter Smith this season, he should resist completely any temptation to extend or renew the manager`s contract.
While the club waits to be re-born, hopefully under enlightened new ownership - and there`s absolutely no guarantee that the right leader will materialise - those charged with running Rangers in the interim must ensure that the club is attractive to the Rangers support.
A change of manager at the end of this season - at the very latest - is now essential.
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