RANGERS were on the brink of a historic quadruple and one of their greatest campaigns just a few short weeks ago.
But David Weir is well aware they will be branded failures if they do not wrest the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title from Celtic's grasp tonight.
Rangers had been red-hot favourites for the crown but now head into the final night level on poin
ts with their greatest rivals and knowing Celtic's superior goal difference means a win at Dundee United would surely be enough for them to retain the championship regardless of events at Aberdeen.
A mammoth run of 67 games has seen Rangers win the CIS Insurance Cup, contest the Uefa Cup final and book their place in this weekend's Scottish Cup final. But Weir knows their season will be judged on only one game – the make-or-break clash at Pittodrie.
"At Rangers, if you are not winning things you are a failure and it's as simple as that," he said.
"I think everyone is aware of that and it's the same at Celtic. They haven't won anything this season but if they win the league they are heroes and if they don't they are the opposite.
"That's just the nature of the game. Playing for Rangers and Celtic, it's a fine line between being a superstar and being a nobody.
"The league will be very important in determining that. You can play 60 or 70 games but if the last one doesn't go right, that's the one you are judged on. That's just the business we are all in."
The stakes may be high but Weir believes no-one at Rangers will crack under the strain, insisting huge expectations are par for the course at Ibrox. He said: "You deal with pressure week in, week out. At Rangers, every game is a big game. People have been saying that for the last two or three months now. Every game has been important and this one is no different.
"As soon as this one is out of the way, Saturday's Scottish Cup final becomes a big game.
"You have to enjoy the pressure. That's why you play. We have been playing in big games for what seems like months now. That's why you are at a club like Rangers. If you don't enjoy it, or can't handle it, you are at the wrong place."
At 38, this could be Weir's last chance to claim a league winner's medal. But he insisted:
"I've always said that my age is irrelevant, it's just a number.
I don't think I would savour it or enjoy it any more than any of the other lads."
As for his future at Ibrox beyond the summer, Weir said: "I've got no idea what will happen. I genuinely don't know what I'm doing and I haven't spoken to the manager about it.
"There have just been so many games that I haven't had time to consider it. I've enjoyed every minute but there are obviously a lot of things to take into consideration."
The full article contains 522 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
