Something may have happened at Auchenhowie – and no one noticed….

It is only pre-season but Ibrox Noise is noticing a subtle change in Govan which stems from the departures of Lee Wallace, the axing of Graham Dorrans, and the loan (but effective exit) of Jordan Rossiter to Fleetwood:

Rangers’ injuries have seemingly dramatically reduced.

The only man injured at present is Steven Davis, with just a precautionary issue according to Steven Gerrard.

But with Rangers in recent seasons suffering a blight of injury ranging from the mentioned ones to Niko Kranjcar and Eros Grezda too, there really is a change this pre-season in just how few players have suffered.

Alfredo Morelos did get a minor niggle at the beginning, but overall, that’s already 9 matches this summer since pre-season started and just two players have picked anything up, and in both cases minor.

Even Jamie Murphy appears as fit as a fiddle and ready for a full season, if, that is, he’s part of Stevie’s plans.

The point is the constantly-injureds are now either axed from the squad or outright gone, and that removal of invalids seems to be having a knock-on effect of helping everyone else stay fit.

There’s nothing more discouraging for a fit player than seeing a row of crocks hobbling around – it’s not good psychologically for the healthy players to see that, so by instead having none of them and having the whole squad good as fit, it’s creating a much healthier atmosphere and breeds fitness in itself.

Being unfit can be learned – that negative influence of players who are always on the treatment table filters over to the fit ones and maybe they too get a little niggle here, a little knock there and before we know it they’re out for four weeks.

But this season so far? None of that.

Long may it continue.