The road to glory has been laid out for Danny Rohl. There will be twists and turns and bumps along the way but the light at the end of the tunnel is in view and is glistening off the Premiership trophy.
A trip to Falkirk on Saturday, May 16 could be Rohl’s date with destiny. When the German walked into Ibrox in October, he was one of the few who believed that Rangers could be champions this term. Now he stands just six matches, or six cup finals as he would class them, away from delivering on his ambition.
In the aftermath of the defeat to Celtic that ended Rohl’s chances of a league and Scottish Cup double this term, he and his players made a promise to each other. Inside the Ibrox dressing room, they vowed to go on and win the Premiership and end this season on a high.
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On Tuesday afternoon, they discovered their route. The opposition was not in doubt, of course, but the order had to be decided. As always, the post-split fixtures prompted debate and discussion. Ultimately, the best team will win the league.
If that is to be Rangers, they will have to do it the hard way. Before the final five matches come into focus, Rohl has an away day at Falkirk to take care of first and foremost. It was John McGlynn’s side who put the final nail in Russell Martin’s coffin all those months ago and Rohl’s first outing there will be followed by his second a month later.
The importance of that return journey will be determined by what happens before then. Come the final day of the campaign, will Rangers be challengers? Could they even be champions? The nightmare scenario for Rohl is for his side to be cut-adrift and for the last 90 minutes of this extraordinary term to meaningless while Celtic and Hearts go head-to-head for the title.
The two home matches in the sequence are must-win. Motherwell are the visitors when Rangers return to action after their trip to Marbella next week and Hibernian are the opposition in the penultimate match of the season as the Ibrox floodlights are turned on for the last time this term.
The significance of the other two away days to come speak for themselves. On Monday, May 4, Rohl takes his side to Tynecastle. On Sunday, May 10, they travel to Parkhead. Two wins could well be enough to clinch the title. The cost of two defeats is clear even this far out from the respective kick-offs.
It has been evident for some time that there would be a fixture imbalance across the top flight come the end of the season. While the SPFL look to ensure all clubs play 19 times at home and 19 times away, history shows how difficult that is. Indeed, in the quarter of a century that the split has been in operation, a 20/18 scenario has played out around 50 per cent of the time. Falkirk are the beneficiaries in that regard this term and will host Rangers and Hibernian on three occasions as a result, but will also go to Parkhead and Tynecastle for a third time.
The League work the schedule to ensure that clubs play a minimum of two matches out of their five at home and no more than three away from home. They also look to facilitate a home/away or an away/home pattern on matchdays 37 and 38.
On paper, Rangers have the toughest schedule and travelling to Hearts and Celtic in quick succession is far from ideal. Rohl’s side actually have the best away record in the division, with their tally of 28 points from 15 matches (an average of 1.86 points per game) putting them ahead of Celtic (1.76 points per game) and Hearts (1.68 points per game).
However, three away matches in February saw six points squandered as Rohl’s side were held by Hibernian and denied by Motherwell before they left it late against Livingston. Seven of the 12 draws - a remarkable number in more ways than one - have come on the road but Rangers have a goal difference of 12 on their travels, compared to Celtic and Hearts with plus two and plus eight respectively.
The memorable win at Parkhead at the turn of the year is offset, or perhaps overshadowed, by the disastrous derby double-header last month. Calling the final Old Firm is almost impossible but it could be that a point is all Rangers need to take back across the city with them.
When Rangers lost in Gorgie in December, it was felt that their title challenge was over. That defeat remains the only one that Rohl has suffered in the Premiership and it could have been a very different afternoon had a narrow call not gone against Manny Fernandez early on.
Are Rangers good enough to win each of the remaining six matches? Of course they are. The concern from supporters has not been about Rohl's side overcoming individual challenges, but more about them being able to string results together, especially at a time of the season when any slip-ups come with huge ramifications. Three from three after the Scottish Cup defeat has been just the response that was required and a fourth victory would see confidence levels rise once again before Rohl takes his side to the continent to gear up for the sprint finish.
It is true that the league table doesn’t lie. It shows just how little there is between these teams and how tight the run-in will be. If any side somehow wins all six matches, they will rightly be crowned as champions.
In a season of as many sagas and storylines as this one, predicting the outcome of any fixture – never mind the next six – for any team is a perilous business. The points that Hearts dropped at Livingston on Sunday ensured that a remarkable pattern continued and there has been only one round of fixtures where all three title contenders have been victorious.
From a psychological perspective, playing first on any weekend is clearly a bonus. In that regard, Celtic have the upper hand and the first two of their five matches are scheduled before Rangers. The Old Firm is a 12 noon kick-off on Sky Sports, while the TV selections for the final day matches, which all take place at the same time, have yet to be announced.
On the opening weekend of the split, Celtic are at home to Falkirk on the Saturday night. Sky Sports selected that fixture for live broadcast and Rangers’ meeting with Motherwell was then moved to the Sunday as a result. The following weekend, Celtic have the chance to pile on the pressure when they travel to Hibernian before that unusual Monday evening kick-off in Gorgie.
Naturally, the final day fixtures grabbed the attention. Rangers heading to Falkirk was always likely but Hearts supporters are less than impressed about having to venture to Celtic Park.
The aforementioned requirement for a home/away or away/home final week came into the SPFL thinking, as did the number of home matches for each club post-split and the need to avoid city clashes. While Hearts head along the M8 to Glasgow, Motherwell will travel to Leith for a match that could yet have its own consequences for the final placings.
The SPFL made the decision for all matchday 37 fixtures to take place at the same time so that every club had the same recovery period before the last day. This means that Rangers/Celtic and Hearts/Hibernian couldn’t both be away on the final day as one would have to play their home match in round 37 on Tuesday, May 12. Feedback from stakeholders – including the clubs, broadcasters and Police Scotland – saw a consensus reached that there should be no derby matches on the last day.
The requirement to give Celtic three home matches has certainly worked in their favour here. It is rare for the team that is top of the table to not be at home on the final day. As it stands, it is the side sitting third that will have that particular advantage.
Time will tell how important it is. League titles are won on the park rather than on paper. The odds and the opposition must be overcome and at this stage, character is as important as quality.
Rohl believes his side have both. He knows what stands between him and the ultimate prize and a place in Ibrox folklore. The games are set. Now, let the games begin.
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