IN many ways, the conversation leaves Graeme Murty in a no-win situation, one where he could be damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t.

Proclamations of his side being in the title race could ultimately leave Rangers with egg on their faces should they, as appears likely, come up short and finish off the pace behind Old Firm rivals Celtic.

On the other hand, the Ibrox boss would come under friendly fire if he ruled out a bid for silverware in the closing stages of the campaign and questions would come from his own supporters.

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Any title talk amongst the Light Blue legions has been rightly tempered by a realisation of Rangers’ situation in the Premiership in recent weeks but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to play for between now and the end of the season.

Their efforts in the top flight probably won’t be rewarded with a winner’s medal this term but Murty will still strive for success and search for positives over the final ten matches.

"You are ultimately going to be judged right at the end,” he said. “You deserve to finish where we finish.

“We can't look at it and write ourselves off or say we are right in it. What we have to make sure is that we make each game meaningful and we have a very meaningful game at St Johnstone.

“We have to go and perform. It will be difficult, teams are going to be well structured and frustrating.

“We need to take care of our own business and if there is an opportunity later in the season to get some silverware we are in the right shape physically and mentally and ready to grasp the opportunities.”

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If Rangers are to put any pressure on Celtic in the coming weeks, then victory over St Johnstone tonight is imperative. In truth, their record between now and the end of the season would have to be all-but perfect.

There is almost no expectation from outside the walls of the Rangers Football Centre on Murty’s side. Within them, it is a different story, though.

Murty said: "We apply pressure for ourselves. We have certain standards that we want to adhere to and we want to keep on improving because the idea for this season is to get closer and move the club forward.

“I think we are in the process of doing that but I still think there are improvements to be made and I still think we can get better.

“The players have that mindset where they want to keep on improving and they want to push each other forward.

“Guys who aren't getting much game time, I have to commend their attitude and spirit because they are pushing the guys who are on the pitch and that's pleasing for me."

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If Rangers are indeed left empty handed come the end of the campaign, there are several key moments that they will look back on with heavy hearts.

It has been a season of missed opportunities and inconsistencies, of costly defeats and significant changes as Pedro Caixinha paid the price at Ibrox.

Rangers’ recent fortunes have offered hope for the future for supporters. But what if Murty had been able to lead from the front sooner?

“It is ifs, buts and maybes and all we can do is look at what we are currently doing,” he said.

“It would be incredibly arrogant of me to say if I was in charge we would be better off than we are.

“We are where we are and we deserve to be in our current position. All we can do is look at what we are doing now and make sure we keep pushing our own method and way of doing things forward. I think the culture that we have really enhances that.”

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Rangers did what they had to do against Hearts on Saturday and the three points they earned at Ibrox put the ball in Celtic’s court ahead of their trip to Aberdeen the following day.

Having seen their Old Firm rivals answer that question with relative ease, Murty’s side now have a chance to pose another when they head to McDiarmid Park.

Victory, what would be their eighth in nine games, would cut the gap to six points before Celtic face Dundee tomorrow evening.

Every result had a positive impact for Rangers at Pittodrie but Murty isn’t focusing on what the teams either side of the Light Blues do.

He said: "I find myself wanting it to be us playing. I want our fate to be in our hands.

“That's the realisation I came to at the end of the game - we just have to look at what we do.

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“Celtic will carry on and do what they do, Aberdeen will collect the points they collect, we can't look outside our group.

“Too many times we've been looking at other things externally for guidance to what we should so when really we should just look into our own group and make sure we take care of our own business."

It is that ambition that will be at the forefront of Rangers’ minds when they face a Saints side that have already caused them problems this term.

The 3-1 defeat at Ibrox in December was one of the lowest points of the campaign for Murty as a four-game winning run came to a shuddering halt.

Now, though, there is a belief that Tommy Wright’s side will suffer the same fate as Partick Thistle, Ayr, Hamilton and Hearts and be overcome by the Light Blues.

Murty said: "It was hard to take because we didn't do enough to take control of the game, albeit we could've gone on from the goal we scored. We didn't play at a quick enough tempo, we weren't aggressive enough with or without the ball.

“But that's changed in recent times, we're a much different team to the one we were earlier on.

“We hope to bring those attributes and really take the game to our opponent. It's not about revenge, it's about setting a level and living up to it.”