Alex McLeish reckons Rangers have to avoid becoming preoccupied with stopping Celtic's march towards 10-in-a-row, and focus initially on becoming the second-best team in Scotland ahead of Aberdeen.

McLeish has obvious close ties to both Pittodrie and Ibrox, and he likes the look of the business Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has been doing in the north-east during the close season.

That is why he thinks Rangers' immediate concern should not be on pipping Celtic to the title, a task he feels is well beyond them at present, but on the more achievable aim of toppling the country's second-best side.

“Rangers can’t be thinking about stopping 10-in-a-row right now, they’ve got to look upon every year as a fresh challenge," said McLeish. "They’d love to stop seven in-a-row, and if they don’t, they’ve got to stop eight in-a-row. That’s what the challenge has got to be at Rangers.

“They are in an elite group of clubs in the world that have to win every week, and Rangers aren’t doing at the moment. It’s a tough, tough phase for the supporters, who have had a few years of hell. They just want to get back to those old traditional days of week-in, week-out victories.

"But at the same time, Derek McInnes looks as if he’s doing some good business as well, so overtaking Aberdeen will be tough enough for them.

“If they can’t usurp Celtic, which at this moment seems unlikely, they’ve got to get above Aberdeen and that’s got to be their biggest goal.

“But McInnes has made some good signings and they are looking reasonably strong again. If they are getting guys like Shaun Maloney and Ryan Christie in, they are bloody good players.”