For all Danny Rohl has steadied the ship at Rangers, there is still one thing that eludes him: a statement win in a showpiece fixture

In the aftermath of a 2-1 victory over St Mirren in midweek, Danny Rohl was asked what the result might do for Rangers’ title aspirations.

It had been a night where Celtic had crashed to yet another defeat under Wilfried Nancy, whilst league leaders Hearts were inactive as those around them played their game in hand.

With Rangers moving to within six points of Hearts and only three behind Celtic, Rohl did not make any wild proclamations.

Instead, he spoke about the need for consistency over a greater period. He urged his players to believe that they could yet mount a challenge.

He spoke with the quiet authority of a man who knows what could yet be possible over the second half of the season, without indulging in any bluster or promises of instant glory.

There was a calmness and conviction in his words. There was an understanding of exactly what is required, qualities that have been evident from the moment he arrived at Ibrox back on October 20.

Back then, Rangers were eight points behind Celtic and 13 adrift of Hearts. After the disastrous reign of Russell Martin, they had won just once in the league.

Rohl has since won eight of his 11 Premiership matches, losing only once to Hearts. He has achieved this with limited resources thanks to inheriting a squad that was built by Martin and Kevin Thelwell.

But his pragmatism, flexibility and tactical dexterity have given Rangers a much more solid platform on which to build – and, ultimately, dragged them back into a title race.

There is now a resilience to Rohl’s Rangers. Under Martin, they were a team drowning in idealism. It was slow possession-obsessed football that left them wide open and vulnerable.

Rohl has stripped it back to basics. He has instilled organisation, discipline and a structure that allows the team to adapt without losing its shape.

They still press high when the moment is right, but drop back into a compact block when it’s not. Clean sheets have returned; the goals conceded have plummeted.

He has switched between a back three and a back four depending on how he wants the team to play. He is finding a way to get the best out of the players available to him, always a hallmark of any good coach.

In the league, Rangers have found a way of grinding out results against the lesser lights and showing the kind of grit that had been missing.

Yet, for all he has managed to steady the ship, there is still one thing that eludes him: a statement win in a showpiece fixture.

Shortly after his arrival, Rangers lost to Celtic in extra-time in the semi-finals of the League Cup.

It was a match where Rohl’s reputation was unharmed given how he managed to re-organise Rangers and find a way of being competitive even after going down to ten men.

But, ultimately, they still lost. Just as they also lost against Hearts at Tynecastle a fortnight ago.

This is the box that Rohl still needs to tick. He needs to deliver a statement victory in a big match that elevates his reign to a new level.

In the unique pressures of Glasgow and the Old Firm rivalry, a manager’s reputation is not forged in the quiet accumulation of points, but in those blazing moments of conquest.

That is the challenge that awaits Rohl as he takes his players across the city to face a wounded Celtic side today.

When these sides met at Hampden a couple of months ago, it was Thelo Aasgaard who was correctly sent off for a crude lunge on Celtic defender Tony Ralston.

But, with two goals in his last two games, there are signs that Aasgaard could yet have something to offer Rangers.

Likewise Youssef Chermiti, the much-maligned Portuguese striker who was signed for a fee close to £10million.

He enjoyed his best game in a Rangers jersey in midweek, leading the line well and linking the play in a manner befitting of a proper No 9.

Rohl continues to excel in the only currency that matters at Ibrox, one which his predecessor Martin never understood; winning matches.

This is the essence of what it takes to manage Rangers. The success of a manager does not hinge on playing beautiful football, but their ability to prevail amid the thunderous weight of expectation.

The limitations of what Rohl has been working with cannot be overstated. The fact they are both working with a sub-standard squad they inherited is something which united both Rohl and Nancy.

But what separates them is the fact that Rohl has shown a far greater understanding of what’s required, and an ability to dig out results.

The outcome of this season’s title race will not hinge purely on the outcome of today’s match at Parkhead.

But a clearer picture will emerge over the course of the January window, as Celtic, Rangers and Hearts seek to arm themselves with the necessary tools to win the championship.

The wheeling and dealing over these next few weeks will carry a level of significance that has rarely been witnessed in Scottish football.

January offers Hearts the chance to turn a good first half of the season into something more enduring. Something more historic that will resonate far beyond the borders of Scotland.

But Rohl and his Rangers players will have their own designs on the title. Victory at Celtic Park would be the clearest and most tangible demonstration yet that Rangers are moving in the right direction under the impressive young German.