It's not pretty, but Rangers' re-emergence is FOURmidable!

There are a myriad of reasons why Rangers are on the brink of winning four trophies in one season.

What happened at Ibrox while Paul Le Guen was in charge was perhaps a harsh lesson to the Scottish giants that with a club like Rangers it is better to have someone at the helm who knows exactly what is expected in Scotland and in Glasgow.

This is no slight on any foreigner coming to Glasgow to manage. Wim Jansen succeeded at Celtic, Jo Venglos was liked at Parkhead and Dick Advocaat enjoyed trophies at Ibrox, albeit with a huge transfer budget.

Le Guen attempted radical changes at a club that is showered in tradition. His poor foreign legion of buys did very little in the rugged SPL. They couldn't hack it. Indeed it was down to club captain Barry Ferguson to lead a revolt. We will never know what really happened during this time but Rangers fans must be thanking Ferguson for his actions. Rangers are on the brink of a domestic treble and the very real possibility of a UEFA Cup final in Manchester towards the end of May.

After 31 games this season Rangers have three points more than they did after completing 38 a year ago. They have scored more goaqls and conceded less. It's a remarkable turnaround considering the budget that Walter Smith has had to work with.

I am fairly positive that most Rangers fans would have been happy with a sustained and serious assault at Celtic's dominance. Smith has bolstered his squad with seasoned, experienced players. There is a healthy mix of youth and experience to the current Rangers side and players who can handle the big-game atmosphere.

Smith's tendency to play a 4-5-1 formation has come under fire not just from football critics but also from the fans. Especially at Ibrox. Throwing caution to the wind at home against lesser opponents was met with anger and frustration. Football is a results game and Smith was using the players at his disposal in a way that he knew they could grind out results. The squad is in no way mega-talented but Smith plays to its strengths. Very difficult to break down and usually hitting on the break with a lone striker.

The midfield is packed with rugged and fast players ready to pick up the scraps of opposing defenders' mistakes. It works.In the SPL and in Europe. It may not be worth paying to see for a neutral but ask any Rangers fan at the minute whether they care or not.

This style has frustrated neighbours Celtic on two occasions this season. Indeed, statistics show that even if Gordon Strachan's men win their remaining games and finish on 89 points and Rangers do likewise, Celtic lose the league. The Parkhead men won the title with 84 points last season. They produce a higher points total this season and still lose the league. It shows an astonishing turnaround on Rangers' behalf.

Statistically Celtic have improved slightly compared to last season but Rangers have come on in leaps and bounds.The management team at Ibrox must take tremendous credit for the turnaround. Whatever Rangers finish with, surely it will be looked upon as a season that has brought them back from the dead and sent them on a journey of unexpected twists and turns.

The problem is that although every twist so far has been favourable for the Ibrox outfit; what will the reaction be if it turns another way? In reality the SPL can only be thrown away and surely the Scottish Cup against Queen of the South is a formality. But the UEFA Cup? Fiorentina, Bayern Munich and even little Zenit St Petersburg may have something big to say about that.