That old adage about a week being a long time in football has never been truer than in the seven days or so which Rangers and Celtic went through to Sunday afternoon.
Barely ten days ago Celtic had the Scottish Premiership upper hand but have now surrendered five points to make it advantage Rangers in the title race.
In between the Gers also shone in Europe whilst Celtic toiled, heaping the pressure on their already under fire manager Neil Lennon.
There’s a long way to go, but the fact so many Celtic fans are debating whether the club should stick or twist their hand when it comes to those dubious claims to 10IAR shows just how nervous our rivals are about the challenge Rangers pose.
The release of their annual accounts also reveals just how big a Catch-22 they are currently in with regards Neil Lennon and his backroom staff.
Celtic spent £20.7m on new players over the last year with the manager backed to the hilt. Do they change it and hope a new boss can get them to sing a tune without more investment?
Do they do it now and risk losing sight of Rangers by January? Do they stick with him and hope he turns it around?
It’s a monumental amount of money to spend to essentially go backwards and – fingers crossed – Celtic can’t risk a rebuilding job if they’re to keep sight of a more complete Rangers squad this season.
Our summer recruitment was light-years ahead of theirs and, with the way his side is playing, it is completely unsurprising there is talk of Lennon getting his jotters.
With an incredibly difficult fixture list ahead this rocky patch might not be over for them just yet either; these really are pivotal times for our expensively constructed title rivals.
But Rangers must keep their eyes on the prize. We’ve seen this movie before.
Whilst there might be a soap opera growing around Celtic and as excruciating as it is for them, Rangers can’t indulge in it too much.
As Alex McLeish expertly explained earlier in the week, the focus is – and always has been – on 55.
Whilst all of this is being played out in public Rangers are continuing as they have all season; with a battle plan, identity and quiet determination.
If we continue to so, the torture of the last week or so could be just a taste of what’s to come for Celtic and their supporters this season.
