The Rangers midfielder saw red after clashing with Scott Severin shortly before half-time, and Lee Miller cancelled out Charlie Adam's opener shortly afterwards.

With their extra man, Aberdeen should have been favourites at that stage, but visitors Rangers created the better chances after the break.

"I don't think we had the form of the day to go and win it," Calderwood told Setanta 1.

"We didn't deserve to win it. We didn't create too many chances and they had a couple when big Kris (Boyd) came on."

Aberdeen's 4-0 UEFA Cup victory over FC Copenhagen on Thursday raised expectations at Pittodrie.

But Calderwood said: "Looking back, it's probably a point gained because I don't think we had the pace in our game, our passing wasn't crisp.

"We've got a wee excuse maybe - Thursday night - but I didn't give them too much sympathy in the dressing room a minute ago."

Calderwood accused his side of being "sluggish" in the early stages of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash and admitted they got little better once McCulloch went off.

"Our passing was woeful and we never really got going," he said.

"All credit to Rangers, they played well. I'm disappointed in my own team."

mfl

Rangers boss Walter Smith said: "It was a good point for us.

"I thought we were excellent overall and thoroughly deserved a point and possibly should have had three."

Smith stressed he had not seen the incident involving McCulloch which saw the Scotland midfielder ordered off.

But he criticised the match officials, particularly assistant referee George Drummond. Drummond raced over to deliver his verdict on the skirmish - which involved several players - to referee Kenny Clark.

"A strange situation just now is that we have bits where linesmen want to be referees now," Smith told Setanta 1.

"They're not happy for the referee to referee a game. That's the first time I've seen a linesman run 50 or 60 yards to tell the referee he has to send someone off.

"If the referee who's in a good position, possibly better than him, hasn't seen the incident, it has to go on. It seems rather strange that the linesman won't run for the ball so why should he run on the pitch and tell the referee that someone has to be sent off."

Smith added: "The referee won't speak to me, so at the end of the day I don't know what happened."