YOU can never say it is over until it is over. But with just 11 games left, Rangers are in a really strong position in the Championship title race.

We have a great chance of winning the league now and can even afford a couple of slip-ups between now and the end of the season.

With an eight-point lead, and a vastly superior goal difference, we are certainly in the driving seat.

Hibernian knew they had to win their game in hand against Morton on Wednesday night but the 3-0 defeat at Easter Road has left them with a huge task ahead.

They will probably need to win all their remaining games, including against Rangers, if they are to have a chance of winning the title.

Rangers are firm favourites now but they will take nothing for granted. It is only a couple of weeks since we went to Alloa and drew 1-1 having dominated the game.

There are teams in the league that can take points off you if you don’t play well. So you can never say it is over right now, and Mark Warburton won’t.

There is still work to do. When you say it is done and dusted, the players could switch off.

Rangers have given themselves a great chance of winning the title and I would like to think they now have an even greater desire to go on and get their hands on the silverware. They can see the finishing line in sight.

If Hibs had won on Wednesday night, the gap would have been down to five points and there are still the games away at Falkirk and Easter Road to come.

But we have that extra cushion now and that will have done the players the world of good.

That won’t mean they will start taking their eye off the ball and will look to ease over the line, though. Once you do that, you can find yourself in trouble.

Morton got a 2-2 draw at Ibrox a few weeks ago and then beat Alan Stubbs’ side on Wednesday night. And that goes to show that you can take nothing for granted in football. Rangers certainly won’t between now and the end of the season.

To be fair to Hibs, they have been really good this season and they have been on a good run of form.

There is pressure on them to go up this season and they wanted to win the league to avoid the play-offs again. No matter who they play then, it is going to be a difficult game.

Rangers have been living with that pressure as well and the focus has been on them. Fortunately, when we dropped points at Alloa, Hibs drew with Livingston later in the day.

The pressure is maybe off Rangers a wee bit now that they have an eight-point gap, but Mark would have been in the dressing room first thing on Thursday morning talking to the players and not letting them think the job was done.

He has said all along that it doesn’t matter what other teams do, it is all about Rangers. When you are clear at the top and you are picking up points, there is no focus on what anyone else is doing.

Hibs would have been looking for our results, but we certainly didn’t need to look for theirs. If we win our games, we win the league. It is as simple as that.

Between now and the end of March, we have St Mirren, Raith, Morton and Queen of the South at home. They will be difficult games, but there is a huge incentive there for Rangers.

The run starts with St Mirren today and there is no doubt Alex Rae will have his side well prepared and fired up. They are clear of the relegation battle and they have to be looking to get into the top four.

Alex is a great Rangers man but he is the St Mirren boss and will be going to Ibrox determined to get the three points. He is a winner and has that mentality you need when you are a Rangers player.

If Rangers have the right attitude, they will win the game. If they don’t, there is a chance they could slip-up.

It is all down to Rangers. We need to sprint towards the line and ensure there are no stumbles before we get our hands on the silverware.

An Ibrox magician with quick feet and wit to match, Coop was phenomenal

DAVIE COOPER was the best player I ever played with. It was a privilege to be at Rangers with him.

Glasgow Times:

It would have been Coop’s 60th birthday on Thursday and I can’t believe that it has been 21 years since he died.

He is in the thoughts of his team-mates and the Rangers fans who were lucky enough to see him play.

He was a great player and a great guy. He had the “Moody Blue” tag and he didn’t like speaking to the media, but was quite happy talking to the lads.

People don’t know he was a funny, funny man. He could bring you down with a one liner and was as quick with his mouth as he was with his feet.

Whenever you were in trouble, you gave the ball to him and he took it for a walk for 10 minutes.

Davie probably gave me most of my goals with his crosses. He didn’t even have to look at me. He just got the ball, fired it in and nine times out of 10 it would end up in the net. I owe him a lot.

Coop was an entertainer and when he was in the mood he could win a game on his own. I know that is difficult to say these days, but so can Messi and Ronaldo.

He had that bit of brilliance, whether he was scoring or setting it up for someone else.

We can all remember the free-kick against Aberdeen when Jim Leighton never moved. Some people say he got a touch to it.

He did – on the way out.

Hark at him! Gary’s jibe adds spice to cup tie

Glasgow Times:

THERE has been a bit of a storm over Gary Harkins’ comments about Rangers but I don’t think the Ibrox crowd will bother too much when Dundee visit in the Scottish Cup next Saturday.

When he said what he said, he was making a joke. It was stupid and he shouldn’t have said it, but I think it was a joke and he was smiling.

There will be some fans who won’t see it that way, of course there will. He will come in for a bit of stick during the game but you get that in any tie.

Gary Harkins knew what he was doing and he would have known the reaction he was going to get. He knew what his words would mean to a lot of Rangers fans.

It adds another layer to what was already looking to be a really good cup tie.

I think it will be a tougher test against Dundee than it was against St Johnstone. They are a good side and they have plenty of threats up front.

Paul Hartley reckons Dundee will be favourites and I agree with him. They are playing at a higher level and have every chance of finishing in the top six.

If Rangers were to get beat, we will hear the same reaction from some quarters that we got in the aftermath of the St Johnstone game. There was no criticism after we beat Kilmarnock though, was there?

We know that Rangers need better players for the Premiership next season, whether they beat Dundee or not. We need a higher quality of player.

But we certainly have a chance of beating Dundee and getting through to the semi-finals. I am sure there will be a big crowd at Ibrox and it could be a cracking game.

Your question for Derek Johnstone

GARY MacDONALD from Motherwell asked DJ what was the most fortuitous goal he scored in his career?

The biggest fluke I ever scored was when I put the ball in the net with my backside one day. The ball came in from the byline, it was hammered across between the goalkeeper and the six-yard box.

It was so quick I didn’t have time to move my feet, so I turned my back on it and it hit me and went in. I will take it every day of the week.

It doesn’t matter if it is a 30-yard screamer, a header from 20 yards or it goes in off your backside, they all count. I was asked afterwards if I meant it and I said ‘of course I did!’