Rangers should walk it against First Division side Queen of the South in the final of the Scottish Cup this afternoon at Hampden Park.
Last week, Rangers looked a tired lot in the final of the UEFA Cup against Zenit St Petersburg and lost 0-2 at the City of Manchester Stadium.
The Glasgow giants had been dreaming of a quadruple crown this season, following their League Cup win over Dundee United.
But the Russians burst their balloon. And the treble dream was also turned into a nightmare as on Thursday rivals Celtic clinched the Premier League title on the very last day of the championship.
Yet, Rangers have not been given a fair crack of the whip with the backlog of fixtures they had to face. Their plea to postpone the league game against Dundee United four days before the UEFA Cup final fell on deaf ears. Scotland manager George Burley also came to the Gers' aid but the FA did not budge.
Rangers' long road to the UEFA Cup final was absolutely tremendous and that shows how strong the Scottish game is becoming.
Walter Smith, in his second spell at Ibrox Park, hailed his side's campaign in Europe and said his players gave more than 100 per cent.
To reach the final Rangers had to play 18 matches since they came through the early stages of the Champions League. Their performances against more fancied sides Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina were heralded as significant wins in the continent.
Smith and the players' biggest wish was to win the Premier League crown as Rangers had finished empty-handed in domestic honours for the past two seasons.
This was the second time that the Glasgow Blues had gone three or more consecutive seasons without being crowned champions since the start of the Premier League in 1975-76.
Queen for a day
Dumfries side Queen of the South, playing in the second grade of the Scottish game, would shock the football world if they had to topple Rangers and lift the Scottish Cup today.
The Doonhammers, who finished in fourth place overall in the First Division, are managed by Gordon Chisholm.
Chisholm, who took over at Palmerston Park last summer, wants to prove himself after being sacked by Dundee United not long after he had guided the Terrors to the 2005 Scottish Cup final, losing to Celtic. At Queen of the South, the fans have been backing Chisholm from the day he walked in.
In the last four months of the campaign, Chisholm received three manager awards, the last one coming in April.
Their semi-final win over Aberdeen was another feather in the cap for Chisholm.
The victory, by the odd goal in seven, became a popular feature in Scotland for those collectors who thrive on dramatic encounters. That tie included a breathtaking sequence of five goals inside 11 magical minutes.
Queen of the South reached their first ever Scottish Cup final in their 89-year history with their semi-final victory at Hampden Park. With Rangers qualifying for the Champions League, Queen of the South will be claiming another historic event since they will play in the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history.
The Aberdeen manager Jim Calderwood had to suffer two semi-final defeats this season after the Dons were downed by Dundee United 4-1 at Tynecastle in the last four of the League Cup.
Chisholm will hope to have the services of midfielder Sean O'Connor who had been sidelined for more than three weeks. Yet, former Celtic defender Craig Reid and on-loan Kilmarnock forward Robert Campbell are both cup-tied.
Cup honours
While Rangers have lifted the Scottish Cup 31 times, the Doonhammers have only two semi-final appearances to show after the one of 1950 when they lost to Rangers.
Their latest silverware grab was the SFL League Challenge Cup, the knockout tournament for non-premier sides. They beat Brechin 2-0 in the final of 2003.
Rangers, who are three honours behind Celtic in the all-time list of cup winners, have won the silver pot as follows:
1894 vs Celtic 3-1
1897 vs Dumbarton 5-1
1898 vs Kilmarnock 2-0
1903 vs Hearts 2-0 (after 0-0, 1-1 draws)
1928 vs Celtic 4-0
1930 vs Partick Thistle 2-1 (after 0-0 draw)
1932 vs Kilmarnock 3-0 (after 1-1 draw)
1934 vs Motherwell 1-0
1935 vs Hamilton 2-1
1936 vs Third Lanark 1-0
1948 vs Morton 1-0 (after 1-1 draw)
1949 vs Clyde 4-1
1950 vs East Fife 3-0
1953 vs Aberdeen 1-0 (after 1-1 draw)
1960 vs Kilmarnock 2-0
1962 vs St Mirren 2-0
1963 vs Celtic 3-0 (after 1-1 draw)
1964 vs Dundee 3-1
1966 vs Celtic 1-0 (after 0-0 draw)
1973 vs Celtic 3-2
1976 vs Hearts 3-1
1978 vs Aberdeen 2-1
1979 vs Hibernian 3-2 (after 0-0 draw)
1981 vs Dundee United 4-1 (after 0-0 draw)
1992 vs Airdrieonians 2-1
1993 vs Aberdeen 2-1
1996 vs Hearts 5-1
1999 vs Celtic 1-0
2000 vs Aberdeen 4-0
2002 vs Celtic 3-2
2003 vs Dundee 1-0
Head to head
The duo met six times in the Scottish Cup and Rangers lead 5-1.
1975-76 quarter-final: Doonhammers-Rangers 0-5; 1957-58 quarter-final: Doonhammers-Rangers 3-4; 1950-51 first round: Rangers-Doonhammers 2-0; 1949-50 semi-final: Doonhammers-Rangers 1-1 (replay 3-0); 1937-38 second round: Rangers-Doonhammers 3-1; 1936-37 first round: Doonhammers-Rangers 1-0.
Route to Hampden
Queen Of The South
Third round: Away vs Peterhead 5-0 (Dobbie 2, O'Connor 2, Burns).
Fourth round: Home vs Linlithgow 4-0 (Dobbie, Thomson, O'Connor, McArthur og).
Fifth round: Away vs Morton 2-0 (O'Connor, Stewart).
Quarter-final: Home vs Dundee 2-0 (Dobbie, MacFarlane).
Semi-final: Hampden Park vs Aberdeen 4-3 (Tosh, Burns, O'Connor, Stewart).
Rangers
Fourth round: Home vs East Stirling 6-0 (McCulloch 2, Hutton, Boyd 3, 1 pen).
Fifth round: Away vs Hibernian 0-0. Rangers won replay home 1-0 (Burke).
Quarter-final: Home vs Partick 1-1 (Boyd). Rangers won replay away 2-0 (Novo, Burke).
Semi-final: At Hampden vs St Johnstone 1-1 (Novo pen) Rangers won 4-3 on penalties.