The air of optimism that once surrounded Ibrox has quickly turned into a familiar feeling of frustration. Danny Rohl's Rangers side have seen their Scottish Premiership title hopes take a devastating blow, following two consecutive defeats that have left them seven points off the summit and four points adrift of second place.

Just over a week ago, Rangers were riding high, having clawed their way back into the title conversation. But football can be a cruel game. A heartbreaking 3-2 loss at home to Motherwell, decided by a stoppage-time winner, was followed by a trip to Tynecastle that felt like a must-win. For 45 minutes, everything was going to plan. Dujon Sterling's deflected volley had the visitors in front, and their performance merited the lead. Yet, by the final whistle, Hearts had scored twice without reply, and a late header off the bar from Thelo Aasgaard was as close as Rangers came to a response.

This inconsistency has been the Achilles' heel of Rohl's squad all season. "We knew they would come with power," Rohl admitted after the Hearts defeat. "They played much more direct. We had less pressure on the ball, and you have to defend in critical areas very often. We have to learn from this." The manager pointed to the youth and inexperience of his squad as a factor, and the evidence is hard to ignore.

Think back to the Motherwell game: Rangers were outplayed in the first half, trailing 2-0, before a spirited second-half fightback to level—only to concede again. A few games earlier, they shipped two first-half goals against Falkirk but roared back to win 6-3. They've also had to recover from two down to draw with Livingston and, after an impressive first-half display against Celtic, ended up settling for a 2-2 draw. These peaks and valleys have defined their campaign.

The statistics paint a telling picture. Rangers had lost just twice in 33 games before the Premiership split, but now, at the most crucial stage of the season, they have lost back-to-back matches. A total of 12 league draws has only compounded the issue, leaving them with too much ground to make up with too few games remaining.

For the players and the fans, the question now is simple: where do they go from here? The title may be slipping away, but the fight to build a consistent, resilient identity is far from over.