Rangers’ Premiership title hopes were given a massive dent after Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at Ibrox to Motherwell.
That result hs left them chasing from behind in the final stretch of the season.
With four games remaining, Danny Rohl’s side sit four points behind Hearts and three adrift of Celtic.
With both rivals still to visit before the campaign ends.
The run-in now carries a brutal edge: Jambos away next, then Celtic Park.
All before home and away meetings with Hibs and Falkirk complete the fixture list.
Helicopter Sunday remembered
It is a scenario that has inevitably pulled supporters back toward one of the club’s most famous references points for late-season drama.
Helicopter Sunday in 2005, a day when belief carried Rangers through a collapsing title race and into one of the most extraordinary conclusions in Scottish football history.
On Sunday, that same spirit was visible in the stands, with supporters unveiling a large tribute referencing Marvin Andrews’ iconic “Keep Believing” message from that era.
Now, the boss from that title win has been urging patience rather than panic.
Alex McLeish calls for belief in Rangers
Former Ibrox gaffer Alex McLeish, who oversaw the 2005 triumph, believes the situation still demands composure rather than resignation.
Drawing direct parallels with his own experience of overturning the odds in the final weeks of a season he gave words of wisdom to the current crop and head coach Danny Rohl.
“Sunday was a disappointing result but you can’t give up,” he said to the Daily Record.
“You have to keep going because as you saw back in 2005, anything can happen.
“We knew back then it was still doable, even after losing to Celtic.
“We still had four games to go but we just had to keep piling on the pressure by getting wins.
“The week after the Old Firm defeat, we went up to Aberdeen and had a phenomenal 3-1 win up there on the Sunday afternoon.
“We’d travelled up the day before, when Celtic were playing Hibs.
“They ended up losing to leave the door open for us.
“We obviously still had a tough game at Pittodrie to take care of
“But we did our duty and that kept us going.
“We won the next two and made sure we stayed alive heading into the final day at Easter Road.
“And that’s what this Rangers team needs to do, keep winning.
“They can’t allow themselves to be left thinking what-if should the other two ahead of them slip up.”
Leadership required
He spoke about having leaders within the dressing room urging the others to keep going and to keep believing right to the end.
“At half-time we were drawing 0-0 with Hibs and Celtic were a goal up at Fir Park.
“At that point the league was lost.
“Some of the boys came into the dressing room slumped and it needed a few guys to rattle the cages.
“We needed them to know that we had to win our game to put the pressure on Celtic.
“I said my piece and that acted as the catalyst.
“I said to Barry [Ferguson], ‘You’ve got to get the other boys to believe.
“ If they see you down in the Doldrums, they’ll be the same’.
“Right there, Barry jumped up and was round the lot of them, ‘come on we’ve got to win this’.
“That provided an injection of determination in the dressing room. From that point on, they couldn’t wait to go out on the park again.
“The boys went out for the second half, got the job done and made history.”
Defender reflects on historic win at Hibs
Former defender Bob Malcolm, also part of that 2005 squad, recalled the emotional volatility of that title race and how quickly momentum can swing when pressure is at its highest.
“I think as a player back on Helicopter Sunday the message was just win the game and let’s see what happens elsewhere,” he said in an exclusive interview with Read Rangers.
“But there are a lot of points to be won before the final game and hopefully the current team can get the job done.”
He described the surreal nature of that afternoon as results filtered through while Rangers were still in action.
“I’m sure most of the bench that day was Scottish apart from Peter [Lovenkrands], so to be sitting there as a fan and a player was crazy,” he explained.
“It was actually big Billy Thomson and Davie Lavery sitting behind us telling us when Motherwell scored.
“We didn’t believe them until the Rangers fans erupted behind the goal that they weren’t winding us up.”
Even the final confirmation took time to fully register.
“The feeling at full time was surprise and relief mixed in one,” Malcolm said.
“It was like no one really knew if it was a joke or if we really won it.
“It took probably until we went back to the dressing room before the helicopter landed for it to sink in.”
He stressed that unity and discipline were what ultimately carried Rangers through then, and will be required again if this season is to be salvaged.
“The most important factor was we looked after each other and had a core group that even when we were not playing well, we still put a shift in and done our jobs for the team,” he said.
“I believe they can do it but there will always be ups and downs after a split, they need to stick together and fight for each other.
Read Rangers analysis
For Rangers, the path is now uncompromising: two away tests against direct rivals, and a need for perfection in the closing stages.
The margin for error has effectively disappeared.
However, history, as McLeish and Malcolm both insist, shows how quickly a season can still change shape until the final kick of the season.
