McCoist knows Rangers must be ready for Celtic

Bitter rivalry ensure that Gers will need to hit the ground running on entering the top flight.

Sometimes you can learn more from victory than from defeat.

And, in the case of Rangers in the past couple of days, at times you can actually learn more from a draw treated like a defeat.

The Light Blues 100% record in their League One campaign came to an end on Boxing Day when Stranraer struck late to equalise Lee McCulloch’s penalty.

That wasn’t well received by the fans. They had grown attached to the idea of seeing their side put together a perfect winning season.

Yet let’s put this in perspective.

This time last year Rangers record was far, far worse. By New Year they had already LOST to Stirling Albion, Queen of the South and Inverness Caley Thistle. There had been draws, too, against Peterhead, Berwick Rangers and Annan Athletic.

True, the losses to Queens and the Highlanders came in separate competitions, the Ramsdens Cup and the League Cup. The other four setbacks were all in the League a division lower than the one they are in this season. Rangers also came perilously close to a shock in the Scottish Cup when they were run close by Forres Mechanics.

It says a lot for the standards they have set in the 12 months since that a draw against Stranraer is now viewed as a mini disaster. I believe there were mitigating factors.

Firstly, this was Rangers’ first competitive game for over a fortnight. As much as managers will try to ensure their team carries on from where they left off, it is a fact teams can lose the momentum they had built up prior to a break.

Secondly, the game was right in the middle of the festive season, a time when all of us can’t help but be a little distracted.

While the result was a disappointment, it shouldn’t detract from the progress that has been made. The interesting question, I believe, is where will Rangers be when we get ready to move into 2015?

The fast answer is in the Championship. That is a given. But how high up the table? This, remember, will be a League that is likely to also contain Hearts along, possibly, with the likes of Ross County, and maybe Dunfermline.

Throw in improving teams such as Raith Rovers and Falkirk, and you have a seriously competitive division.

That could be to Ally McCoist’s benefit. Immersed in the culture of Rangers for so long, he knows more than anyone that the club will need to challenge Celtic straight away on entering the top flight.

A hard-to-win Championship might not get his team 100% ready. It should, however, get them pretty close.