RANGERS can’t become preoccupied with stopping Celtic winning 10-in-a-row according to former boss Alex McLeish, they have to win the title next season.

McLeish recognises the gulf in quality and finances that currently exist between the Glasgow rivals, but he believes that the Ibrox side can’t settle for second-best.

And with the team that Graeme Murty is building at the club, the 59-year-old doesn’t think it is too far-fetched to suggest that Rangers could mount a challenge come the next campaign.

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"Let’s be honest, people say that Rangers have got to stop 10-in-a-row, but you’ve got to stop the next one,” McLeish said.

“It can’t be about stopping 10-in-a-row, they’ve got to stop the next one. You can’t wait and plan for three years ahead.

“Graeme Murty has made some good advances and the players he’s added have been good, so they have to aim for the top.”

In the here and now, McLeish concedes second place would be more than acceptable for Rangers this season with the gap to Celtic already too large to bridge.

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But no matter what happens when Aberdeen visit Ibrox tomorrow night, McLeish doesn’t believe that the match will be critical in the race to be best of the rest.

“No matter what, it’s never over,” he said. “When I first went to Rangers, Celtic won on the Saturday and we drew on the Sunday and the papers on the Monday said that the league was lost.

“We ended up winning it, so you can never say anything for certain at this time of the year.”