Can Rangers exorcise demons to end chaotic season in glory?
[BBC] What sort of response would you have got from a Rangers fan if you had told them their team would be one point off the top heading into the split, just as Russell Martin was being smuggled out of Falkirk in October? After that 1-1 draw, Martin was sacked with the Ibrox side in eighth place, 11 points adrift of top spot after a run of just one win in seven league matches. Six months later, Rangers fought back from two down at the same venue to win 6-3 and keep themselves within touching distance of Hearts.
A victory against Motherwell in their post-split opener at Ibrox on Sunday would send Danny Rohl's men to the summit, at least before the league leaders complete their Edinburgh derby at Hibernian. It has been far from perfect under Rohl since his October appointment, but after 25 Premiership matches - yielding 18 wins, six draws, and just one defeat - a potential momentum-shifting weekend is upon them. Fans still need convincing about their team's mental strength to go the distance and doubts will resurface if Rangers fail to start their blockbuster end to the season with a win.
The support have watched their team falter in the split in recent campaigns. In others, the league has already been all but wrapped up - including the Ibrox club's triumph five years ago. In that title-winning season and the two that followed, Rangers collected 13 points from a possible 15, but they dropped six points last term and five the year before.
Put simply, it is difficult to emerge from the split with a perfect record. And that is before you factor in that the quality of the non-Old Firm teams in the top half has increased this campaign, while the usual standards of Celtic and Rangers have slipped. However, after two heavy-spending transfer windows and with Rohl's side now on the shoulder of Hearts, fans will not stand for excuses.
A four-week acid test begins on Sunday against a team Rangers have failed to beat in two of their three encounters this term, having only narrowly defeated them in the other.