This coming weekend is the first of a few which could have a huge bearing on where the league flag will fly next year and, regardless of events elsewhere, Rangers' ability to win at Aberdeen - or otherwise (please God no!) - will offer a massive clue as to how things might pan out. It really is a no-brainer. Victory over a mid-table team is what we have every right to expect. Anything less is a damning inditement of our team. If we can't beat such a bunch of chancers, we are right back to where we were a year ago.
We are in a position to put FC Semtex under some pressure and it is an opportunity the players must grasp if they are to show they are a cut above last year's class of under-achievers. For all the early promise of our Champions League campaign, we are back in the UEFA Cup and, if we fail to take our present good league form (four wins on the spin) through the Christmas and New Year holidays, we might be entitled to ask: What is so much different this time around?
For what its worth, I reckon we've got more men ready to put in a shift for the team and this is a quality we will need to show on Sunday. The Two Jimmies jokers have blown hot and cold this season (mainly cold actually) but we all know what to expect from them when they fix their eyes on our blue jerseys. They'll bite and scratch for everything and, unless we can match them in that department, we are unlikely to get the chance to make our superior ability count.
It sure is tight at the top - Motherwell can actually nudge us into third place (briefly!) if they beat Falkirk - but this is where the genuine article should begin to emerge. Walter's summer signings flourished for a while in Europe but the nitty-gritty of the SPL is where they will be judged. Get the better of our rivals in the bread and butter games, all the glamour of Europe can look after itself at a later date.
We got all the encouragement we could have hoped for last weekend. For so long it looked like two points were being thrown away against the Jambos - 'This is how leagues are lost,' I moaned - but we got the break at the end - 'This is how leagues are won,' I laughed - and Sunday's remarkable turnaround at Inverness really made for a very enjoyable diversion from Christmas shopping at Annie Miller's. Suddenly the league has got interesting again.
The iffy goings-on at Easter Road this week have us all wondering what sort of Hibs team will face the Scum Of. Earlier in the week I quite fancied the Trainspotters to be capable of piling on the agony at the dark side of the city with the same sort of performance which got them a 1-0 win at our place. But now it wouldn't surprise me if the hooped horrors rattle in four or five.
All of which should be of absolutely no concern to the Rangers. Even if Ra Sellick score a barrowload, and Motherwell see off Falkirk, the complexion of the league race will be unchanged if we do what we have to do at Sheepieville. Sure, it would be good to see Gordon The Garden Gnome going radio rental on the touchline but we'll get plenty of chances to see him lose it again as the season unfolds...just so long as Walter gets our guys focused on their own performance, single-mindedly tuned in to beating our friends in the north and giving us all a nice wee journey home on Sunday night.
Just as it doesn't matter to us what happens at the Piggery, nor should Thursday night's events at Shittodrie have any impact on Rangers' approach. The opposition will get a big lift from beating Copenhagen and progressing in the UEFA Cup. So what? No matter how they respond - we all know they'll be up for it against us! - it is the level of performance our team produces which will determine the outcome of the match.
A year ago at the same venue we won more convincingly than the 2-1 scoreline would suggest, only for it to be PLG's last significant win. By the time Walter took us back there on the final day of the SPL campaign, we had already secured our Champiopns League slot, while Dolly & Co were still chasing a place in the UEFA Cup. Predictably, our lot didn't turn up, they got the 2-0 win they needed and, hey, they sure let us know about it. I must say I much preferred their despairing reaction to PLG's win and I want to see Walter and the lads put them back in their place on Sunday.
With no midweek match, Rangers will be the fresher side so there can be no excuses for anything other than a solid team performance and a convincing victory. This is just the sort of game we should be able to look back on during the summer months and reflect on how the league was won.
Just do it, Rangers!
KILLIE BILLY