Rohl and co have the chance to go top of the league next weekend and that would have appeared ridiculous five short months ago

06:00, 24 Mar 2026Updated 15:14, 24 Mar 2026

Content cannot be displayed without consent

We’ve still got a bit to go before the Premiership prizes are held aloft this season.

But for Rangers, there is a significant first finally within touching distance.

It might be fleeting, it might last less than 24 hours, but if Danny Rohl’s side can beat Dundee United a week on Saturday then a squad that was once assumed to be dead and buried when the German arrived will find themselves sitting on top looking down on all the rest.

To see Rangers leading the Premiership table, even for one night only, is a prospect that frankly would have appeared ridiculous when the German first draped his towel on the lounger that Russell Martin had just been tipped out of back in October.

Only eight league games had been played by the time Rohl stepped in to fix the mess left behind by his predecessor and yet Rangers were already 13 points adrift of Hearts.

They’ve been playing catch-up ever since.

In what has become something of a game of snakes and ladders, they’ve chipped away at that lead over the last five months, slithering as close as two points to Derek McInnes and his Gorgie shock troops at one stage, only to then slide away again.

But finally, after months of twists and turns, it’s now Rangers who have the chance to snatch the lead.

The showdown with United will take place three days after April Fool’s Day and offers the Light Blues that chance to lay a trap for their two title rivals.

Victory over Jim Goodwin’s men would nudge Gers ahead on goal difference.

But more than that, for the first time this season it would be the Tynecastle leaders cast in the role of chasers.

Hearts manager Derek McInnes celebrates at full time

They’d have a swift opportunity to respond when they make the short journey west to Livingston the following day.

But in what would be a fascinating development, the dynamic will have changed. Suddenly Hearts’ room for error will have been wiped out and the Gorgie underdogs will now be the team under pressure having held off the fight from the Old Firm for so long.

McInnes has done his utmost to shield his players from the glare of scrutiny that shines brightest when upsetting the odds.

But now the heat would really be on and it would be down to the Jambos to show that they can go again having seen their advantage slashed.

As for Celtic and their return to Tayside to face Dundee at Dens on that same Sunday afternoon, how would the champions react to the sight of their oldest foes storming to table summit, knowing they had the millions in the bank which could have put the title beyond reach had they only spent that cash wisely? Or at all?

The Parkhead side have allowed a one-horse race to become a three-way sprint for the finish line … and it’s Martin O’Neill’s side lagging five points off top spot after their loss to United at Tannadice.

There’s a lot of ifs and buts in the scenario spelled out above.

And given the significance of every remaining move in this year’s title race, there is even a real risk that with such a huge plot twist now within sight it could be Rangers who fall back into a script they’ve become so familiar with in recent years.

After all, we’re talking about a team that managed to chuck away a two-goal lead at home to Celtic one week, then lose on penalties the next having gone through 120 minutes of Scottish Cup action without facing a single shot on target.

Doubts remain about Rangers’ chin and their ability to withstand blows as the title scrap comes down to the nitty gritty. Would anyone be really surprised to see Rohl’s side muscle their way to within striking distance only to be knocked out again?

The ebbs and flows of this year’s Premiership marathon have been harder to predict than a Donald Trump war plan but the only certainty is that there will be further moments of drama to come.

Hence why Rohl is understandably keen not to put too much emphasis on what happens next weekend once his team returns from the international break when there are still another six games to go.

Mikey Moore of Rangers speaks to Danny Rohl

“For me it’s not so important to be [first] in the next couple of match days ahead,” he said after Saturday’s win over Aberdeen.

“It’s important that we have something to celebrate on the final match day, and for this we have to be very focused on our own.

“It doesn’t matter what they are doing, if we win the seven games we will win the league.”

If they don’t, the sense of despair around Ibrox is going to last an awful lot longer than one night only…