Rangers 3 - 1 Aberdeen

"It's irrelevant anyway," Walter Smith said, referring to the tight hamstring that afflicted Jean-Claude Darcheville in the warm-up to Saturday's match with Aberdeen.

The Rangers manager was making the point that the French striker would have missed the UEFA tie because of suspension. He could have been referring to the entire UEFA hoopla.

Rangers now face four consecutive cup-ties before resuming the title chase on March 22. This will hone their appetite for the championship to merely ravenous.

Smith, of course, is desperate to win any piece of silverware for a club starved of success recently. One suspects the UEFA Cup is not at the top of his priorities.

The Clydesdale Bank Premier League is the first, the last, the everything. Smith started this season hoping to compete with Celtic. He enters the business end of the championship with a four-point lead.

All reflections, all comment, must now be made in light of Rangers' title aspirations.

Briefly, Rangers will play 4-1-4-1 against Bremen, home and away. Most likely they will go out. This will be greeted by cries of "good run" from observers and, perhaps, relief from the manager.

However, failure to win the title would be the bitterest of blows. Football fans constitutionally can withstand despair. It is raised hope followed by defeat they find debilitating.

So what is the latest update on the health of Rangers' championship aspirations? On Saturday, they teetered, sank to their knees and then rose to march to victory. They seem in the rudest of health.

When Charlie Adam smacked the bar with a right-foot shot, we should have known this was going to be a strange afternoon. It was stranger than deep-fried sushi.

Aberdeen, a shambles only six days earlier against Kilmarnock, were excellent, particularly in the first half.

David Weir and Carlos Cuellar, the bulwarks of a resilient Rangers defence all season, were woefully fallible.

Allan McGregor, a goalkeeper almost without blemish recently, almost donated Andrew Considine an equaliser after misjudging what seemed to be a routine free-kick.

All this followed Jimmy Calderwood's attempts to keep it simple by employing a 4-4-2 system geared to take the game to Rangers. After a hesitant start, this is precisely what his side did.

Aberdeen should have been three up by the interval. Steve Lovell, Jeffrey de Visscher and Barry Nicholson all came up short when one on one with McGregor. Zander Diamond, too, had two clear headers on goal from corners before Lovell finally despatched one with his head past McGregor.

But Rangers were able to equalise through Christian Dailly and then win with goals from Adam and Boyd, though the latter might have been scored by Ricky Foster.

Three precious points were thus salvaged in a Rangers performance that had a convincing resilience and perseverance.

The good news for their supporters is that this side has an eagerness that seldom flags. It has, too, an ability to play its way back into a game.

Smith utilised the frenetic energy of Nacho Novo to unsettle Aberdeen after half-time. He also adjusted the positioning of Steve Davis and Barry Ferguson. There were times in the first half when both were standing side by side in the same area.

Davis's beat was altered in the second half and he won the man of the match award. Perhaps perversely, I believe Ferguson was the most influential player for Rangers.

There are other glad tidings. Kirk Broadfoot is quietly but steadily improving. Dailly is more than competent in front of the back four.

But it is not all good news for Smith. This was the second weekend that Cuellar and Weir have toiled. Kenny Deuchar caused problems last week while the redoubtable Lee Miller and Lovell did the same this week.

Weir is becoming exposed to bursts of pace. He may be offered some respite when Andy Webster regains match fitness.

Boyd had the sort of afternoon that his detractors will hold up as some sort of video on how not to play as a lone striker. He looked lethargic, his touch was heavy and his finishing was desperate though he was presented with few clear-cut opportunities.

When Rangers were awarded a penalty, after Alan Maybury dumped Novo, Boyd's kick was well saved by Soutar before the Rangers striker and Foster arrived at the rebound together and the ball shot into the net.

Boyd celebrated with the conviction of a goalscorer but his claims to start for Rangers are seriously flawed.

Darcheville's hamstrings gave him the opportunity on Saturday. Smith, though, will surely start with Daniel Cousin on Thursday.

For now, there is one unassailable truth. "I don't think we need to complicate things," said Smith. "We just need to keep winning."

The simplicity of the sentiment cannot disguise the difficulty of the task. These are interesting times.