Scottish football: Murty's Rangers case, Celtic's French fancies, Kilmarnock form and Dallas rules

Graeme Murty's Rangers knocked Paul Hartley's Falkirk out of the Scottish Cup on Sunday

BBC commentator Rob Maclean picks the talking points from this weekend's Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

Don't do dirty on Murty

Rangers would be doing the dirty on Graeme Murty if they end the season second best to Celtic and his temporary appointment as manager is not made permanent.

The Ibrox team, who beat Falkirk on Sunday to reach the Scottish Cup semi-finals, have made significant progress, long overdue, since the sacking of previous gaffer Pedro Caixinha towards the end of October.

Development squad boss Murty was promoted to game-by-game caretaker manager then given the job until the end of the season.

Rangers have lost only four of his 22 matches in charge, they are the Premiership's top scorers and the upcoming league meeting with Celtic - ahead of a rematch next month in the cup semi-final - should tell us how far the have come in the last four months or so.

Remember, they finished nearly 40 points adrift of their oldest rivals last season in third place.

They are currently six points behind with nine games to go.

If they can beat Aberdeen and Hibernian to runners-up spot this time, and there's every chance, Murty should be given the job he clearly deserves.

French fancies look tasty up front

Odsonne Edouard and Moussa Dembele shared Celtic's goals against Morton

Celtic must surely look to their French connection to obliterate any lingering debate about a title race.

On-loan Paris St-Germain striker Odsonne Edouard, only just turned 20, produced the most convincing display I've seen from him so far in Saturday's 3-0 Scottish Cup defeat of Greenock Morton.

His impact off the bench at half time was in sharp contrast to the labouring efforts of Scott Sinclair, the player he replaced.

Yes, Edouard missed chances in his first few minutes on the pitch, but what I liked about him was his desire to come back for more, rewarded with the third goal of the game and his seventh for Celtic.

More than that, his dynamic performance was the catalyst for a much-improved second-half showing from Celtic and his link-up with fellow Frenchman Moussa Dembele, who scored twice, was an eye-catcher.

It is a double act that has to be let loose against Rangers at Ibrox this coming Sunday.

Killie are never-say-die

Kris Boyd (centre) scored Kilmarnock's equaliser against Aberdeen

It has got to the stage that, even when Kilmarnock are losing, you confidently expect them to get something out of the game.

There are three glaring examples from their last five matches.

Trailing Dundee with 10 men, Stevie Clarke's team bounced back to win an amazing match 3-2.

Then they were two goals down at half-time against Hibs and rallied after the interval to earn themselves a point.

And, at Pittodrie in the Scottish Cup on Saturday, they got what they deserved with a second-half equaliser against Aberdeen to stay in with a chance of reaching the semi-finals.

For them, there is no such thing as a game that is gone.

Dallas rules trump controversy

Andrew Dallas (left) was the centre of controversy at Fir Park on Sunday

Andrew Dallas had us reaching for the rulebook on Sunday as he denied Motherwell what looked, initially, to be a perfectly good goal after only three minutes of their Scottish Cup quarter-final against Hearts.

But the referee was right, uncomfortable though I am in using that phrase.

Hearts goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin did not have both hands on the ball as Motherwell's Chris Cadden poked it into the net.

But he did not have to. It is enough for the keeper to have the ball trapped between one hand and another surface - in this case, the ground - for it to be in his possession and unplayable for an opponent.

You learn something every weekend. Well, I do anyway.