IT will likely be the least of his concerns as he sits on the team bus heading for Starks Park but an unwanted place in club history awaits Kenny McDowall should his players fail to halt their recent slide this evening.

Not since season 1985/86 have Rangers lost four games in succession when Jock Wallace's second stint in charge fizzled out in unspectacular fashion, paving the way for the arrival of Graeme Souness as his successor. On their current wretched run, Rangers have lost to Celtic in the League Cup, been knocked out the William Hill Scottish Cup by Raith Rovers then had their promotion aspirations damaged by defeat to Hibernian. A re-match with Raith, this time on their own patch, offers the chance to atone for that cup defeat and also ensure that McDowall is not tagged as the man who lost four games on the bounce when his time at Ibrox comes to an end at some point later this year.

Statistics, however, won't likely feature predominantly in his thoughts. How to lift morale and get his players subsequently motivated for what will be a thoroughly testing encounter in Kirkcaldy and then the remainder of the campaign beyond that will be what is whirring around the McDowall brain today. There was an acknowledgement yesterday that catching Hearts to finish the season as champions is fast becoming a fanciful notion but that there would be no shame in earning promotion via the play-offs. Even to achieve that, however, Rangers would have to emerge from their current funk and start winning games again.

McDowall, thrust almost unwillingly into the front line following Ally McCoist's resignation, believes he and his coaching staff have done all they can to try to raise sprits among the group. The feeling now is that the players themselves need to rouse themselves, to prove to the doubters that they are capable of producing much more than they have shown in recent weeks.

"It's hard going at the moment because confidence is low but they've worked away fine and know they have got to get back to winning ways," he said. "They actually need to lift themselves. I can only do so much. Walter [Smith] used to say in many of his team-talks that we can only give so much motivation. It's self-motivation that makes you the player you are.

"That's very true. When you get into a wee slump like this, this is when you find the characters in the team who will stand up to it and will want to do something about it. That's what we need - people who will roll the sleeves up. We know we've got to start winning games.

"Even if we don't catch Hearts, we still have to make a play-off situation. Does it matter how we go up? We'd love to go up as champions - of course we would. But if we can't do that, what's the next best? You need to win the play-offs and get yourself up via that."

Given the turmoil behind the scenes at Rangers - and the very real prospect of a changing of the guard following the general meeting next month - there is a school of thought among some pundits and supporters that a second season in the SPFL Championship wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to happen to the club. McDowall appreciates the rationale but doesn't agree with it.

"I can understand it but is it good for Rangers?" he asked. "I don't think so. Is it good for Scottish football? 100% no. So we want to get promotion 100%. This club's got to be in the top league, it has got to be competing for the title. It's got to get back playing in Europe. It's got to get back to all the good things and at the moment sitting in the Championship is not where we want to be."

An extra dimension to this multi-faceted Rangers situation is that so many of the players involved will be out of contract come the summer; an entire team's worth in fact. Given the criticism that many have come under poor displays, it is hard to imagine many being offered extensions regardless of whether there is a new board in place or not. McDowall acknowledged it could be a factor in the run-in.

"Possibly that could be a problem in terms of motivation," he added. "That's a question you'd need to ask the players because they are the guys who are out of contract. But they are playing for a new one maybe and their future - whether that is here or somewhere else. So they need to turn up and do their work if they want to continue to play at a high level."

McDowall will be without Richard Foster and Kenny Miller for this evening's game but can welcome back Steve Simonsen and Lee McCulloch after suspension. Whoever he selects will be in for a tough night.

"It will be a difficult game. There are no two ways about it. It will be a tight game. But it is one that we are more than capable of going and winning."