Following a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over St Mirren earlier this week, questions were posed to Danny Rohl regarding the implications of this victory for Rangers’ pursuit of the league title.

The night proved tumultuous for Celtic as they suffered yet another loss under the management of Wilfried Nancy. Meanwhile, league leaders Hearts remained idle, giving their competitors a chance to close the gap with their games in hand.

Rangers capitalized on the situation, narrowing the distance to six points behind Hearts and just three adrift of Celtic. Despite the promising shift in standings, Rohl refrained from making any bold predictions.

Exuding a composed confidence, Rohl expressed his awareness of the potential opportunities that lie ahead in the season’s second half. He chose not to indulge in grandiose declarations or immediate promises of triumph.

His demeanor reflected a sense of calmness and determination, characteristics that have been evident since his arrival at Ibrox on October 20.

Danny Rohl has impressed at Ibrox since taking over from Russell Martin

Rohl, however, couldn’t get one over Martin O’Neill as he lost to Celtic in the League Cup semi-final in November

Likewise, Rohl also came up short against Hearts last month in the league at Tynecastle

At that time, Rangers were languishing eight points behind Celtic and a daunting 13 points away from Hearts. The team had endured a challenging period under the leadership of Russell Martin, securing just one league victory before Rohl took the helm.

Rohl has since won eight of his 11 Premiership matches, losing only once to Hearts. He has achieved this with limited resources thanks to inheriting a squad that was built by Martin and Kevin Thelwell.

But his pragmatism, flexibility and tactical dexterity have given Rangers a much more solid platform on which to build – and, ultimately, dragged them back into a title race.

There is now a resilience to Rohl’s Rangers. Under Martin, they were a team drowning in idealism. It was slow possession-obsessed football that left them wide open and vulnerable.

Rohl has stripped it back to basics. He has instilled organisation, discipline and a structure that allows the team to adapt without losing its shape.

They still press high when the moment is right, but drop back into a compact block when it’s not. Clean sheets have returned; the goals conceded have plummeted.

He has switched between a back three and a back four depending on how he wants the team to play. He is finding a way to get the best out of the players available to him, always a hallmark of any good coach.

In the league, Rangers have found a way of grinding out results against the lesser lights and showing the kind of grit that had been missing.

Yet, for all he has managed to steady the ship, there is still one thing that eludes him: a statement win in a showpiece fixture.

Shortly after his arrival, Rangers lost to Celtic in extra-time in the semi-finals of the League Cup.

It was a match where Rohl’s reputation was unharmed given how he managed to re-organise Rangers and find a way of being competitive even after going down to ten men.

But, ultimately, they still lost. Just as they also lost against Hearts at Tynecastle a fortnight ago.

This is the box that Rohl still needs to tick. He needs to deliver a statement victory in a big match that elevates his reign to a new level.

In the unique pressures of Glasgow and the Old Firm rivalry, a manager’s reputation is not forged in the quiet accumulation of points, but in those blazing moments of conquest.

That is the challenge that awaits Rohl as he takes his players across the city to face a wounded Celtic side today.

When these sides met at Hampden a couple of months ago, it was Thelo Aasgaard who was correctly sent off for a crude lunge on Celtic defender Tony Ralston.

But, with two goals in his last two games, there are signs that Aasgaard could yet have something to offer Rangers.

Likewise Youssef Chermiti, the much-maligned Portuguese striker who was signed for a fee of around £8million.

He enjoyed his best game in a Rangers jersey in midweek, leading the line well and linking the play in a manner befitting of a proper No 9.

Rohl continues to excel in the only currency that matters at Ibrox, one which his predecessor Martin never understood; winning matches.

Rohl is going to Parkhead looking for what would be a statement win… and a huge three points in terms of the title race

This is the essence of what it takes to manage Rangers. The success of a manager does not hinge on playing beautiful football, but their ability to prevail amid the thunderous weight of expectation.

The limitations of what Rohl has been working with cannot be overstated. The fact they are both working with a sub-standard squad they inherited is something which united both Rohl and Nancy.

But what separates them is the fact that Rohl has shown a far greater understanding of what’s required, and an ability to dig out results.

The outcome of this season’s title race will not hinge purely on the outcome of today’s match at Parkhead.

But a clearer picture will emerge over the course of the January window, as Celtic, Rangers and Hearts seek to arm themselves with the necessary tools to win the championship.

The wheeling and dealing over these next few weeks will carry a level of significance that has rarely been witnessed in Scottish football.

January offers Hearts the chance to turn a good first half of the season into something more enduring. Something more historic that will resonate far beyond the borders of Scotland.

But Rohl and his Rangers players will have their own designs on the title. Victory at Celtic Park would be the clearest and most tangible demonstration yet that Rangers are moving in the right direction under the impressive young German.