LOSING to SPFL Championship leaders Hearts through at Tynecastle on Saturday will have serious - if not fatal - consequences for Rangers' title ambitions.

A Jambos victory would leave the Gers nine points adrift in second place in the secondtier table.

Could Ally McCoist's side, despite there being over five months of the season remaining, come back from that far behind and win the title?

It is debatable. Certainly, anybody who watched them in action against Alloa at Ibrox at the weekend would doubt their ability to do so.

Rangers produced by far their worst performance of the 2014/15 campaign and ended up drawing 1-1 against part-time opponents at home.

They were devoid of creation in midfield, lacked a cutting edge up front and were careless at the back. They paid the price for that.

Having had the chance to move to within a point of Hearts, who kicked off against Falkirk that night, they instead found themselves falling six points back.

A repeat of that sorry showing through in the capital against undefeated rivals who continue to impress will result in three dropped points.

And that outcome will also have potential ramifications for McCoist.

A large section of the Rangers support, despite their deep affection for the legendary striker, remain doubtful he is the right man to have in the dugout. It may seem harsh given all he has endured and achieved since succeeding Walter Smith over three years ago.

He became the Glasgow institution's figurehead during the dark days of administration and has since steered the side to consecutive league titles.

The Light Blues went through League One undefeated - the first time in 115 years they had achieved that feat.

This term he has taken the Light Blues to the semi-finals of the Petrofac Training Cup and the League Cup. And, despite defeats to Hearts and Hibs and two draws with Alloa, his side remains firmly in contention for a place in the top flight.

But ultimately he will be judged on performances on the park. And, as was the case at the weekend, they have often left a great deal to be desired.

The team that dropped two points to Barry Smith's side went into the fixture on the back of an eight-game winning streak.

Remember too they had not, conceded a goal in 540 minutes of competitive football. So it would be wrong to write them, or their manager, off after one, albeit appalling, afternoon at the office.

If Rangers can rediscover the form that saw them thrash Raith Rovers 6-1 or Falkirk 4-0 against Heart they can prevail.

If left-back Lee Wallace, who was missing at the weekend due to a slight knock, returns to face his former club it will make a huge difference.

Nevertheless, McCoist has some difficult decisions to make before kick-off in Gorgie this Saturday.

He has to make changes to his starting line-up to ensure there is a stark improvement. Kris Boyd was poor against Alloa and was replaced by Jon Daly after less than an hour.

The 31-year-old has worked hard for the team and created chances for those around him even when he has not been scoring this season.

But he failed to even do that against an Alloa side who cancelled out Lee McCulloch's strike with a late goal from Liam Buchanan.

Boyd, though, has vast experience. The intimidating Tynecastle atmosphere and the enormity of the occasion will not overawe him in the slightest. Others, though, will be lucky to retain their places - Nicky Clark, Daly, Dean Shiels and even the lesser-spotted Arnold Peralta could all be brought in to face Hearts.

"The chances of getting a result against Hearts if we play like we did against Alloa will be slim," admitted McCoist.

"We had a chance to go one point behind them before they played. It was very frustrating we didn't do so. We didn't play well and I would hope to play a lot better at Tynecastle."

The Rangers team was booed off the park by their own fans - those, that is, who had stayed in the ground until the final whistle - at the end of the Alloa game.

A tiny minority in the 29,548 crowd also directed some chants at McCoist from the stands. Still, they highlighted the feelings of some about the man in charge.

It has been suggested that the cost of paying off the manager and his backroom team would be too great for Rangers given their financial difficulties.

McCoist has dismissed that. He knows every manager lives with the threat of the axe - and he is no different

With a new regime taking control at Ibrox, it is entirely possible they may want to install their own man at the helm irrespective of results and success on the park.

One thing is for sure. If Rangers allow their standards to slip in the manner they did against Alloa again then more points will be hemorrhaged - and the pressure on the manager will only increase.