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From: Nessie �?/FONT>  (Original Message) Sent: 29/11/2008 14:26 ....That's why Celtic will win 4-in-a-row. I would go as far as to say they already have.

was perhaps a wee bit premature. However, the months of December and January will make or break the season for Rangers.

Celtic have won 12 consecutive league matches. Ok, so they've had a wee bit of help on the way from some seriously poor refereeing decisions, but that's a stat that can't be sniffed at. Can Rangers emulate that with the current squad ? At the moment I'd have to say probably no.

However, Celtic's run of consecutive wins won't go on forever. They will drop points at some stage, and Rangers simply have to take advantage.

Back in Walter Smith's first term in charge, Rangers were always particularly strong over the Christmas and New Year period, and generally that was when the league was won and lost. Arguably the same could be said of last season, when Rangers were flying and Celtic struggling going into the New Year before Celtic's shameful behaviour over the Old Firm postponement. However, I digress.

The fixtures for December and January are very interesting. If Celtic come through December with their winning run still intact then they will win the SPL title with some comfort.

Celtic's fixtures for December and January are :-

Hibernian (a), Heart of Midlothian (h), Falkirk (a), Rangers (a), Dundee United (h), Aberdeen (a), Hibernian (h), Inverness Caledonian Thistle (a).

Rangers' fixtures for the same period are :-

Hamilton Academical (h), Dundee United (a), Hibernian (h), Celtic (h), Inverness Caledonian Thistle (a), Falkirk (h), Aberdeen (a), Dundee United (h).

Now I'd say that Celtic have a tougher schedule over the next two months than Rangers. But I'd also say that Celtic are mentally tougher than Rangers from the management to the players and while I have no doubt that they'll drop points over that period, I think Rangers will too.

If Rangers are to get back into this league title race, they simply have to be mentally strong over the next two months. Celtic have been able to continue winning, knowing that Rangers will drop points. It would be interesting to see how Celtic would react if Rangers suddenly got their serious head on at the start of games and stop taking things for granted the way we have been in just about every away match so far this season.

Your thoughts ?