The Walter Smith Rangers mantra that Michael Beale will see tested to the max after restoring belief - Kenny Miller

It’s something the great man, Walter Smith, used to say a lot. When you’re at Rangers, you’re only ever a draw away from being questioned.

That’s why you only survive at Ibrox with the right mentality. And Michael Beale’s players will have that tested to the max again after seeing off Real Betis on Thursday night. After a heavy defeat to PSV and an Old Firm loss to Celtic, his players had two weeks to stew. They’d have thought about the defeats and analysed them until their heads hurt.

To their credit, they returned with a league victory over St Johnstone – like any Rangers team should. To then face a huge Europa League game at Ibrox is never easy. But what a result that was against the Spaniards. Of all the games between now and the next break, that fixture was the one I feared could heap pressure on them. But they dealt with it. And it should give Michael’s team a bit of their belief back.

It should remind them they’re not as bad as everyone was making out. It’s a step in the right direction and I can see progression. That result should tell the players that if they reach their top level domestically – no-one can live with them. Now they have to back up the Betis victory by winning the next four domestic games.

That’s why you’re at the club. You need to be competing on four fronts, at home and in Europe. Now? Motherwell on Sunday is the biggest game of the season. Simply because it’s the next one. When you win that, you move on to facing Livingston in the quarter-finals of the League Cup – a competition that holders Celtic are no longer in.

That’s how you have to approach it. It’s like Walter would say. Right now, Rangers are only one draw away from falling too far back. And then all the good work on Thursday night is completely undone. That’s the nature of the beast in Glasgow and the situation Michael and his players are in. He and his staff understand that. Michael has been there almost four-and-a-half years as coach and now manager.

So he knows the script. But maybe his new players don’t. Maybe they don’t quite appreciate the relentless nature of being at this club. There is no day-off at Rangers. Trust me, I’ve experienced it. Friday would have been a recovery day after Betis and Saturday is a prep day. And on Sunday, you have to deliver again. That’s how it’s going to be until Christmas.

You’ve got the Europa League section and a League Cup to go and win. Then you’ve got Premiership games where you can’t afford to drop anything. Surely that’s what players want to be involved in? Who doesn’t like being under pressure to win? This is why they’re here. So deal with it, embrace it – and deliver.

They’ve had their dwelling period after PSV and Celtic. They’ve mulled over it enough. Now, it’s game after game after game. And they have to win, win, win. That’s how you build confidence and get used to what’s being asked of you every day at Rangers, not just in every game. Because on the training pitch, there should be guys breathing down your neck for a jersey.

Boys who want to be part of big European nights or cup finals. That’s how it has to be if you’re going to be successful. If you stand up and take it on, the fans will come with you. Look at them on Thursday night. All they need is for players to give them a cause to get behind. They have to run, tackle and be aggressive. The supporters want to come with you but they need something to feed off.

Players have to live up to that expectation. And against a really good, top half La Liga side in Real Betis, they did that. That was a real Rangers team in midweek. Of course, they’ve got a long way to go and they’ve achieved nothing yet.

But in the next few weeks, they’ve got an opportunity to build something with victories. By Wednesday night, they’ll have had three big games in three different competitions. That’s what being at Rangers is all about. This is not a throwaway statement. When you’re at this club, you need to win every game. That’s just a fact.

These players will have felt that already after losing to Kilmarnock, PSV and Celtic. They’ll know that’s not acceptable. But why would you want it any other way? You’re fighting for four trophies and have a chance to be successful. This team needed a big result and they got it on Thursday. You just hope it has the desired effect going forward.

In terms of the title race, I expect Celtic to drop points. And with that comes possibilities for Rangers. No matter what anyone says – because I was involved in it for years – every Old Firm player looks for the other side’s result. If you’re playing earlier, irrespective of what you’re doing later that day, you’re checking to see how they’re getting on.

That’s the way it is. But you can only control what you do and how you work. Rangers don’t face Celtic now until the end of December. You can’t affect them. But if you continually win your own games, it keeps the pressure on. And at this moment, Celtic aren’t at full strength. They’ve got injury issues there.

They’ve signed a lot of new players as well and – like Rangers – are still searching for their best form. They’ve already lost in the cup and dropped points in the Premiership. That has to give Michael and Rangers encouragement. But encouragement is one thing. It means nothing if you don’t win.