Union Bears stage Rangers walkout protest as ultras group snub end-of-season Ibrox lap of honour after Dundee win

The Union Bears have sent a clear message to Rangers hierarchy after staging an apparent protest by walking out of Ibrox Stadium at full-time before the squad carried out their end-of-season lap of honour.

The Light Blues brought the curtain down on their domestic campaign in front of a home crowd by fighting back from two goals down to beat Dundee 5-2 in the penultimate league game of the season. The emphatic comeback victory also delayed Celtic's title party until Wednesday at least, with Brendan Rodgers’ side needing only a point against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park to be crowned champions for a third consecutive year.

Gers boss Philippe Clement and his players have come in for stinging criticism in the wake of Saturday's 2-1 Old Firm defeat to their arch rivals which all but ended their title bid. And it became clear that large sections of their fed-up fanbase were losing faith in their team after a chorus of boos met James Tavernier and Co at half-time as they went in trailing the Tayside outfit by a 2-1 scoreline even despite Ross McCausland scoring to halve the deficit.

And the patience of the prominent ultras group also appears to be wearing thin as they made their feelings felt by opting to snub the traditional end of season show of appreciation from the Rangers players shortly after the game was concluded on Tuesday night.

The front corner of the Broomloan Stand where the Union Bears are situated was quickly vacated moments after the full-time whistle, ensuring the likes of long-serving defender Borna Barisic and fellow outgoing star Kemar Roofe received an abrupt farewell in what looks almost certain to be their final appearance in front of supporters at Ibrox.

A much-improved second half performance failed to lift the overall mood surrounding the club, with fans left far from happy and the Glasgow Times report it was a pre-planned protest from the Union Bears to vacate their section quickly and head straight for the exits. It’s claimed they’re furious with how results and performance have been in recent weeks as they looked to make their voices heard.

The fan group also unveiled a large scale tifo display during the interval, revealing a photo of several ultras banging down exit gate 29 of the Copeland Road Stand as they move ahead with plans to set up a new singing section from the start of next term.