Danny Rohl may have done enough to convince the Rangers board – and himself – that he is the man to take the club forward into the new season.
As for the punters? Well, that’s another matter altogether.
Following a 1-1 draw here eight months ago, Russell Martin needed a police escort to get out in one piece before being relieved of his duties a couple of hours later.
A repeat result here would have surely resigned Rohl to the same fate, such is their disgust as the way in which their side’s title bid has gone up in flames under the manager.
Thankfully for the German, this victory ensures can at least enjoy a few weeks off to breathe before the spotlight comes on him once again. Then again, maybe not.
He will have plenty to reflect on to keep his mind occupied. Plenty of regrets, you would suspect.
Thelo Aasgaard nets Rangers’ fifth goal of the game against Falkirk
His inexperience has shone through far too often. On the pitch, his inability to identify when things aren’t going to plan on the pitch and being able to change it up has been his Achilles heel. You could count the number of complete performances he has overseen on one hand.
His decision to comment on Celtic’s failings in Europe ahead of a crucial Old Firm clash – one his side bottled from two goals up – was ill-advised.
And this week, his mishandling of James Tavernier’s Ibrox farewell was a shambles.
The hope for Rohl is that he can learn from those mistakes. One thing’s for sure: he won’t have any margin for error when the first ball is kicked in the new season.
To give himself the best possible chance, he’ll need to get his recruitment spot on. The vast majority of this squad won’t be here.
A handful will return to their parent clubs, and many will be politely shown the door.
Those who do could have few complaints about it either. Time for a complete revamp. Again.
It would have been nice to see some of the younger lads get a start in this dead rubber. Honestly, was there really no one in the academy worth chucking in at right-back instead of Nasser Djiga or his second half-replacement Max Aarons, both of whom will be off on Monday morning?
This was a performance which was we’ve now come to expect under Rohl. Some good, some bad, some just downright ugly.
They got off to a perfect start. Mikey Moore collected the ball on the left-hand side before finding Chermiti inside the area.
Falkirk switched off, giving the striker far too much time to fire an effort underneath Nicky Hogarth from a tight angle.
It was greeted with near silence amongst the away fans behind the goal. Perhaps they were still too busy sorting out their radio feed from Parkhead to even notice. Or perhaps they have forgotten what it feels like to celebrate anything. Either way, it was a strange reaction.
To be fair, their response to Chermiti’s second five minutes later was slightly more enthusiastic. Quite right, too.
The Portuguese forward chested the ball on the edge of the box before unleashing an absolute rocket into the top corner to register his fourth goal against the Bairns this season.
Danny Rohl applauds the Rangers fans at the end of the win against Falkirk
Look, the big man hasn’t come close to justifying the hefty fee splashed out for his services last summer. But there is a player in there somewhere. Indeed, he is one of very few who have improved under Rohl.
Rumours have been doing the rounds this weekend that there is interest from back in his homeland. Rohl insisted post-match that he’s going nowhere. We’ll see.
Rangers, as they tend to do, wasted no time before shooting themselves in the foot at the other end in quite comical fashion.
Tuur Rommens’ back pass to Jack Butland shouldn’t have been difficult to deal with. But the keeper inexplicably let the ball roll under his foot and could only watch on in dismay at it trickled into the net off the post.
There’s a decent chance Butland won’t be around next season. If Rangers can get rid, they should.
He’s been a great servant for the club, but his best days are long gone. In a campaign littered with errors, this was the worst of the lot by some distance.
Ben Parkinson could have levelled things up shortly after rising unopposed six yards out to meet an excellent Sam Hart cross, but got his timing all wrong.
Chermiti turned provider on 27 minutes as Rangers netted a third, picking out Djeidi Gassama, who spun his man far too easily and poked the ball beyond Hogarth.
Falkirk were given another route back into the game by Mohamed Diomande on the stroke of half-time, with the midfielder penalised for a handball at the back post from a Calvin Miller corner.
Referee Duncan Nicolson waved it away initially, but promptly changed his mind after being called to the VAR monitor for a look on the screen.
It came just as news filtered through that Lawrence Shankland had headed Hearts in front in Glasgow. Happy days for everyone inside the ground, then.
Miller stepped up to coolly dispatch the spot-kick. What a season he’s had. In truth, Falkirk will do really well to keep hold of him over the next few months.
He will surely be subject to some interest both north and south of the border. His progression under John McGlynn is testament to both the player and his manager.
McGlynn won’t have been too thrilled with the way this season has petered out, but a top-six finish in his first season back in the top flight is nothing to be sniffed at. He will no doubt be a man in demand too.
Rangers’ two-goal advantage was restored within minutes of the restart courtesy of Chermiti’s ensured he would be leaving with the match ball with powerful header into the net on the end of a wicked Rommens delivery.
Chermiti’s fine day at the office was rounded off by winning the penalty for Thelo Aasgaard to convert with 13 minutes remaining. Quite what Lewis Neilson was thinking as he barged into the back of the striker, only he will know. A bit daft to say the least.
All that was left was for Moore to be given a standing ovation by the travelling supporters as he exited the pitch to chants of ‘one more year, one more year’. Rohl could certainly do with getting the teenager back in the building.
It’s all about looking to the future now for Rohl and Rangers. Things can surely only get better.
