THIS week is all about the old cliches for Rangers ahead of the trip to Tynecastle. There is nothing won at this stage of the season, it is one game at a time and the players need to win their individual battles.

All of them are well used phrased, but each one is appropriate for Steven Gerrard’s side as they look to maintain top spot in the Premiership this weekend.

Those messages are said all the time by managers and the sentiments will be the same for Steven as he prepares his players for a massive game against Hearts.

I have spoken to Rangers fans throughout the international break that have said that Hearts are terrible, it should be another three points and we will still be top.

But this is Rangers at Tynecastle. It will always be a hard game for us and if there was a fixture for Hearts to get themselves back on track, this would certainly be one of them.

Craig Levein will love the prospect of league leaders Rangers coming to town and his side will be well fired up, that’s for sure.

If Rangers don’t perform, they won’t get a result and, with Celtic at home to Ross County on Saturday, their time at the top of the table could be over just like that.

Remember, Rangers won at Tynecastle in December and took top spot. Just a few days later, they lost at home to Aberdeen.

Rangers can’t go into any game, and certainly not this one, expecting things to happen. They have to go out there and make things happen and show what they are all about every single week.

Here is another cliche. It is like a cup final every week for Rangers.

The players will be fully aware what each match means for the club and the supporters and the pressure is really on them this season.

Last term, Celtic didn’t play that well in spells but they still kept going, they still won the games and those results told come the final reckoning as they won the title.

Rangers need to have that same mentality and ability and this squad need to prove they have that mark of champions over the coming weeks and months.

We could go into the game second in the table and nobody at Ibrox wants the lead in the title race to last just the international break.

We need to make sure that Celtic are chasing for a while, and hopefully they don’t catch us.

This is a hugely important game for Rangers. They have done really well to get where they are right now, but it is harder to stay at the top than it is to get there.

We have to let Celtic chase for a wee while and let’s see if they can handle it because that is a position they haven’t been in for a long time.

But Rangers have got to be able to handle the pressure from their side as well and these players have a point to prove in that regard.

Forget all of the talk from the fans and all the comments in the Press and on social media. Rangers have won nothing for a long time and, until they do, they are not back.

Steven Gerrard does have them on the right road, though, and games like Sunday will be so important in determining what, if anything, Rangers win this term.

The manager has huge experience from his time at Liverpool and that will be crucial as the season unfolds and the pressure builds.

He will keep everyone in check and won’t allow people to start getting too far ahead of themselves.

I don’t want to see the players on Twitter or Instagram talking about winning cups or leagues and getting caught up in the hype this season.

The fans will always do that. A fortnight ago, they were the greatest thing since sliced bread after going top of the league but that could all change in one weekend if Rangers don’t do their jobs properly.

It can switch quickly for the players as well. They would have been on a high after the Hamilton game and the only way they can stop feeling deflated is by going and beating Hearts on Sunday.

There is a feelgood factor around Ibrox right now and it is the time to make that count. This run has to keep going and going.

It is consistency that wins you league titles and that is what Rangers need to show now over this next section of fixtures.

This team has shown they can win games and produce good performances to get them top.

Now they need to prove they really can be title challengers.