We enter the second quarter of the SPL programme with the Gers yet to string back-to-back wins together so we shouldn't be too surprised to find our team well off the pace. If we still haven't strung two-in-a-row together at 4.45 on Saturday afternoon, serious questions must be asked about where we are going and when, if ever, we will get there.
Like so many Bears, I've been prepared to give PLG the benefit of the doubt. Not only has he brought lots of new players to Ibrox, he has changed the shape of the team and sought to generate new attitudes within the squad. It was never likely to click overnight so we have been patient, waiting for it all to come together, only to be frustrated by several false starts.
In my eyes Le Gaffer has made it unnecessarily hard for himself with his frequent changes in the line-up. Squad rotation is a great idea but it is a luxury we simply can't afford at this time. We don't have great depth to our squad so, instead of tinkering with the team, PLG must surely go with the men in form and hope that this will bring that little extra something out of the others, either in training or when they get the chance of a wee bit of the action.
Playing catch-up in the league, Rangers don't have the margin for error needed to justify experimental team selections. Allan McGregor's excellent form meant that recalling Lionel Letizi was always going to be a big gamble and the messy goings-on just in front of the keeper - three central defenders but not a centre-half amongst them! - has given us all sorts of problems. Opponents looking for any encouragement only need to pitch a hopeful ball into the box and watch our lot struggle to deal with it.
PLG has pointed to the recent absence of Jeremy Clement as a major blow and that is undoubtedly true. As Baz missed a few of our early games, the pair have not had the chance to gel as a midfield partnership but, hopefully, this might begin to blossom over the next few weeks...if selected.
I haven't a clue what formation we'll see on Saturday. With Nacho having been impressive and scored in each of our last two games, it wouldn't surprise me to see the wee man stuck on the bench again, whereas Boydie, posted missing for so much of last week's game at Love Street, may well be in from the start. I could be flippant and say we'll just have to wait and see what names come out of the hat...but that might be too close to the truth to be funny!
Motherwell appear to have got their act together after an iffy start to the season so we shouldn't expect a cakewalk. Like every team which comes to Ibrox, they'll pull everyone behind the ball, seek to frustrate the crowd and hope we'll turn against our team, and look for Scott McDonald so do a bit of damage on the break. It isn't rocket science, especially the way we are playing at the moment.
The biggest plus for me is that there is plenty of room for improvement in our performances and I'm still reasonably confident that PLG can get more out of the players. He might not have the raw materials he had at his disposal at Lyon but it is surely well within his capabilities to lift our game beyond the erratic level we have endured lately.
Our best hope would appear to be to hang on in there on the fringes of the leadership until the transfer window re-opens in January when Le Gaffer can bring in a solid stopper and maybe inject a bit of pace into our attack. A winning run towards the turn of the year would lift the mood significantly and, depending on results elsewhere, could just give us hope that there might still be something in this SPL race for us.
Three points on Saturday would be a move in the right direction.
KILLIE BILLY