Philippe Clement has Rangers vaulting hurdles Celtic are stumbling through with a mind free of bias and agenda - Hugh Keevins

If Rangers fail to go top of the Premiership table at the third attempt, Celtic supporters might begin to think there’s divine intervention at work.

Philippe Clement’s side had a chance to achieve that landmark when they played Aberdeen and Ross County over the last two midweek round of fixtures. In Perth they’ll be facing a St Johnstone side so mediocre their manager Craig Levein felt compelled to issue a public apology for the poverty of their performance while losing to Dundee last weekend.

They should be a push over for a side with seven straight league wins on the bounce behind them. And I don’t believe that Clement, no matter what he says to the contrary, didn’t check the league table first thing this morning to see what was necessary for his side to assume the ascendancy over Celtic. It would be a dereliction of duty if a manager didn’t have a photographic image of league placings, goal difference and anything else on the road to the title.

But I suspect that’s the only topic of conversation on which I could contradict autonomous Phil. Every time he opens his mouth he proves there are no targets too taboo whether it’s the Ibrox hierarchy, the players or even the fans.

What about Wednesday night’s rebuke for supporters’ anxieties getting across to the team on the park? “If you live the life of fans on the field then you’ll not reach your goals,” he said. No attempt at subtlety. Straight between the eyes. That’s because Clement has assumed a managerial presence at Ibrox unequalled since the late Walter Smith was in charge.

Having known and admired Smith over a long number of years, that is not a comparison I make lightly – but Clement grows ever more impressive in a way Walter himself would not have failed to