THE storm of Falkirk has abated and Ally McCoist can look forward to the clear, blue water with the realistic prospect of a 10-point lead over Celtic on the horizon.

The Rangers manager has a little local difficulty over the situation of Steven Naismith, who has been banned for two matches over his elbowing of Austin McCann on Saturday in Dunfermline, but the visit of Kilmarnock and Hibernian to Ibrox before Celtic play Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday offers the champions the opportunity to stretch clear at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

‘‘I cannot speak for Celtic but psychologically, from our point of view, it would be a real boost,’’ said McCoist. ‘‘It is the opportunity for us to open up a gap. Our form in the cup competitions has been erratic to say the least but we have had a level of consistency in the league so far. That is the very, very encouraging thing, particularly the away performances. We have an opportunity to win two home games now which would put us in a great position this early in the season.”

Apart from the Old Firm match, Rangers have not been in irresistible form at Ibrox. ‘‘Maybe we just have not been firing on all cylinders at home,’’ conceded McCoist. ‘‘I would hope that the last two league games -- if you take away the Falkirk game -- we have certainly played with far more purpose and belief than we have in most of the games this season. I would hope we continue that form.”

The only blemish in the league campaign has been the home draw against Hearts. However, Rangers have already been knocked out of three cups this season, losing in qualifiers for the Champions League and Europa League and to Falkirk in the Scottish Communities League Cup only last week.

McCoist was questioned yesterday about the improving form of Maurice Edu, the United States midfielder who was barracked by the support last season, and his central defensive partnership of Dorin Goian and Carlos Bocanegra. All three came in for praise.

“I accept that he’s not everybody’s cup of tea but if you ask his team-mates whether or not he’s a good guy to have in the side then I guarantee every one of them will say yes,” he said of Edu. “He does a lot of things for the team which the vast majority of footballers don’t like doing and he does it very, very well. It takes different styles of players to create a team: for example, everybody can’t be Steve Davis.”

Edu’s last campaign was accompanied by a soundtrack of dissatisfied growls from the Ibrox support, but McCoist does not believe that had an effect. ‘‘I don’t think that criticism got to him. The Old Firm is a tough place to play, especially if the majority of your own fans don’t recognise the good stuff that you do. The most important thing is to play when things are not going well. Everyone can play, look for the ball, look good when you are 2-0, 3-0 up but you find the true test of people when things are not going so well. He certainly does not shirk or hide.’’

McCoist is also pleased by the partnership of Goian and Bocanegra, describing them as ‘‘very, very stable”. This resolution was certainly on show at East End Park when Rangers were rarely tested, but the pair have been in sides that lost five goals in the two previous matches, including three against Falkirk.

The most significant improvement in Rangers has been the form of Davis, Naismith and Nikica Jelavic. If these three play to the best of their ability, then Rangers are difficult to defeat domestically.

Davis, standing in as captain in the absence of David Weir, has been excellent in the past two league matches against Celtic and Dunfermline Athletic but was quiet against Falkirk. It is no coincidence that Rangers won thew two league matches and lost the cup tie.

The European defeats coincided with a period of lacklustre form from both Naismith and Jelavic. The Scotland internationalist’s four goals in the past two league matches are the sign of a player on top form whereas his misses, against Malmo, for example, could be explained by a lack of sharpness.

The loss to Falkirk was a result of a drab team performance with a lack of tempo and mistakes in defence being exploited by an enterprising home side. Kilmarnock will be adventurous tonight with Kenny Shiels setting up a team to test the Ibrox side’s defensive qualities. Naismith will be missing, but Jelavic and Davis should again be influential.

Rangers have been tested at Ibrox by Hearts and, surprisingly, had moments of unease against a struggling Aberdeen side. McCoist will be looking for a performance of some assurance to capitalise on the victory over Celtic and to exploit the circumstance of two home games with three immediate points.

The Rangers manager was asked about the potential of a bold Kilmarnock to cause problems at Ibrox. “It is more about us rather than the opposition,’’ said McCoist. The Rangers manager has endured torrid midweeks in cup competitions. He is demanding some home comfort at Ibrox tonight.