A lot of water has passed under the bridge since I last felt so good on a Monday morning. Dodgy goings-on behind the scenes and some piss-poor fitba have had Rangers fans at loggerheads with each other for the past decade and more.
Our enemies – of whom there are plenty – have revelled in the mismanagement of Murray, Bain, Whyte, Green, Ahmad, Stockbridge, Mather and others and, with it all highlighted and exaggerated by a blatantly biased media, we have felt ourselves continually pushed onto the back foot.
But an overcast sky, a bit of rain and a cold wind can't wipe the smile off my face today. Friday night's impressive victory over Dunfermline got the weekend off to a flyer, the elimination of 'the unbeatables' – their EIGHTH defeat of the season - made Saturday night's swally so much more enjoyable and it was all wrapped up nicely with, no disrespect to Albion Rovers, the kindest of draws for the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.
Suddenly nobody is talking about the prospect of Admin2, although I've no doubt the Press Gang and their dubious sources will be digging deep to unearth the slightest morsel to put a damper on things. Make no mistake about it, the bitter and twisted ones are hurting badly, their darlings from the east end of the city let them down big time on Saturday, the wee diddy teams who kid themselves they are big clubs will hope to cash in on FC Semtex's exit but in their heart of hearts they are petrified that it will be the famous Glasgow Rangers – then, now, forever – who benefit.
A home draw in the last eight was all we wanted, we got it, an Ibrox semi-final is at stake, and then we have the possibility of a grandstand finish to the season at The Piggery of all places. Could it really be any better, could Ally McCoist and his players ask for a greater incentive?
We all breathed a big sigh of relief when we got through the latest transfer window without losing any of our top players. The prophets of doom told us Lee Wallace's departure was a certainty, not for the first time they got it wrong with their forecasts and it is clearly eating into them to see us in such an upbeat frame of mind. GIRUY!!!
Our club must now harness this feel-good factor. For the first time in a long time, we've got a spring in our step, it would be criminal if this was allowed to diminish, either by some sloppy stuff on the pitch or more dodgy dealings in the boardroom. The prospect of three emotion-filled Scottish Cup ties should have each and every player bursting a gut to impress the manager, aiming to figure in his plans, while the directors must be banging on the doors of the financial big-hitters who, we were assured pre-AGM, are waiting in the wings, ready to invest in the Rangers. The climate is right to talk up the latest stage of our journey back to the top and I think this would be a good time to sound out Dave King about his plans for our club.
We can see light at the end of the tunnel. With the League One title wrapped up a long time ago, the second half of the season could so easily have degenerated into a major anti-climax but now it is all mapped out in front of us, the glamour games we once took for granted are again on the agenda, all the traumas of the recent past can be consigned to history if our team can rise to this challenge.
The squad is made up of Premier League players in temporary exile in the lower leagues, this is their chance to ram the 'you only signed for the money' jibes down their detractors' throats. Bell, Wallace, Black, Law, Daly, Shiels and Templeton had their motives questioned when they joined the Gers, many Ibrox fans have still to be won over by a number of them, but now they can surely savour what playing for the Rangers is all about. Our enemies sniggered at any mention of our forthcoming Ramsdens Cup Final against Raith Rovers but the likelihood of the club they hate, more than they love their own, taking centre stage at Parkheid on Scottish Cup Final day suddenly isn't quite so funny.
Turning that hovel into a sea of Red, White and Blue on May 17th will put so many noses out of joint. What will be going through Stewart Regan's mind when he contemplates our ribbons being tied to the old trophy before it is handed over to the captain of the club he and his cohorts tried to kill? The bulldozers won't be moving into Edmiston Drive any time soon. Indeed, already I can see the streets around the stadium full of celebrating fans awaiting our team's triumphant return from Breezeblock Boulevard.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here. We've still got Albion Rovers to deal with in the quarter-finals and winning a semi, even at Ibrox, will be no easy task but, always being a glass half-full sort of guy, I'm determined to make the most of this happy time. God knows, we've had more than enough of the negative stuff.
Enjoy it, Bears. At long last the tide might just be on the turn.