TALK of turning corners is to be treated with considerable caution at Rangers.

Every other week seems to bring some kind of car crash, which is quite an achievement for a club that has been stuck in a cul-de-sac for longer than its supporters would care to remember.

Off-the-field, the "journey" back from being dumped in the wasteground of the old Third Division certainly still appears to contain an inordinate number of potholes and no sign of a clear and open passage.

However, on the park, at least, there appear to be indications of progress after a couple of years of alarmingly high wage bills and consistently low-grade performances.

Rangers played well in defeating Raith Rovers 4-0 at Stark's Park in their last outing in the SPFL Championship and their League Cup triumph over Inverness Caledonian Thistle, while hardly electrifying, deserves some degree of respect as a result of the opponents playing at a higher level.

The performances of Lewis Macleod, who has certainly overcome a few bumps in the road in the wake of the debilitating virus that attacked the muscles surrounding his heart last season, have been a guiding influence in this recent renaissance.

He is in no doubt whatsoever that Ally McCoist's side have put a sticky start to the campaign behind them for good. Indeed, the 20-year-old midfielder, whose deflected strike against Inverness brought his fifth goal of the season, goes as far as to identify the moment in which everything changed for the better.

Having only just scraped past Hibs in the Petrofac Training Cup and lost their first fixture of the Championship season at home to Hearts, Rangers were being played off the park by Falkirk with 13 minutes left on league duty at the Westfield Stadium when he sclaffed an effort into the area, saw it hit off Will Vaulks and trundle into the corner of the net to make it 1-0.

It was a goal that sparked an ongoing seven-game winning streak.

Macleod speaks with a certainty not often replicated at Rangers these days when referring to the confidence growing within his team. He believes there will be no looking back for this team. Early-season hiccups are history. It is onwards and upwards from here on in.

"We turned a corner in the last 15 minutes of the Falkirk game," said Macleod. "We played particularly well last Friday night [against Raith] and we carried that into the Inverness match. We are definitely confident. We had an international break and, after that, we looked to press teams up the pitch. We're more than happy with our performances in the last two games.

"I suppose, in a way, you could say the win over Inverness does prove something, but we always believe in ourselves and believe we can go out and beat teams. In the last two games, we have done well. If we play against anyone like we have recently, there will be no problems.

"The first couple of games were shaky. We got off to a bad start against Hearts and that made us question a few things. We weren't happy with the way we were playing. We questioned what we could do to change it and we've certainly done that the last two games and we are looking to carry it on."

Macleod also believes that starting and finishing matches strongly is proving a key factor in Rangers' armoury. During two seasons playing against butchers, bakers and candlestick makers in the lower two divisions of the game, McCoist's side did not look in particularly better condition than their opponents, but Macleod believes the difference is clear to see this term.

"The tempo at the start of games is pleasing," he said. "Our fitness is showing in the last 20-30 minutes too. Inverness attacked us and we were bursting up the left with Lee Wallace late on. It was good to see. Fitness plays a big part because you may get wee chances at the last minute that can change games."

Of course, maintaining health and fitness is a matter of great importance to Macleod after missing the second half of last term with that most troubling viral complaint.

"I wouldn't say I am completely over it," he added. "It will take me a wee while to get back to full fitness, but I'm getting there and I'm quite happy with the way I've started the season. In pre-season, your general fitness isn't great anyway, but I've turned a corner and I feel good."

That cannot be said of large swathes of his club's disaffected fanbase, though. Only 15,000 people showed up for what was an intriguing visit of Inverness. One supporters' group has started consulting its members on boycotting home games and convincing others to join them.

Macleod accepts that is part of the landscape at Ibrox right now.

"It's something you have to block out as a player," he said. "It's always good to have a full stadium, but you have to block it out and do your thing."