As much as Giovanni van Bronckhorst has steadied the ship and Made Rangers Great Again, the Dutch maestro has been helped hugely by something very basic:

Great players.

That’s right, for as good as the tactics have been of late, with 14 scored and just two conceded (to Dortmund no less), having Ryan Jack, John Lundstram, Alfredo Morelos and even the back-in-form Ryan Kent at his disposal has helped absolutely ENORMOUSLY.

It’s basic maths – you’re a better team when you have your best players, and Jack and Morelos especially are season-changing returns.

In Jack’s case, we’ve known for a long time how critical he is. Rangers are a different team with him in the side, the way he protects defence and supports midfield and attack – he’s the best in the country at what he does, by an absolute mile, and if he could stay fit for a full season playing like that he’s a stick-on for POTY.

It’s no coincidence our poor form last calendar year coincided with not having him in the side.

In Morelos’ case he’s the best striker in the country and has been since he flourished in mid-late 2019. He’s a world class hitman when he’s in the zone, and it only makes Colombia look more stupid not playing him. We have no one in his class as backup when we don’t have him, and Rangers are deeply weakened when he’s not in the side.

But then there’s Lundstram. Boy is he flourishing too. Rangers fans are completely in love with the scouser now, who has been absolutely revelling playing in the right slot alongside better players. With all due respect to Steven Davis, he slows Lunny down too much and the ex-Sheffield man struggled next to him. But Jack? Kamara? Lunny is a total animal of a boy, and every inch worth the £10M-£15M of market value he has. What a bosman.

And last but no means Kent. He’s been a shocking target for boo boys this season, getting a tonne of abuse. Not criticism. Abuse. From armchair managers who would sooner select Scott Wright. The latter is an honest player but not in Kent’s class, and the last few matches have seen a return to what we know Kent can do. Last night was sensational, and his being in form is indispensable to the club.

Two men back, one man back in favour, one back in form. This is a major part of why Rangers are so much better now.

Imagine how good we’ll be with a settled defence…