Danny Röhl insisted Rangers are beginning to show the balance he’s been demanding, as his side backed up a clean sheet in midweek with a ruthless 3–0 victory on the road.
The manager had challenged his players to blend the solidity they showed against Falkirk with the attacking threat they’d carried against Dundee United.
Reflecting on the win, he felt they delivered a more complete performance – even if they created fewer chances than in previous outings.
“We win 3–0 away, that’s always important,” he said.
“On Wednesday we made a lot of chances and maybe should have scored more.
“Tonight, we didn’t create as many, but when the opportunities came, we were clinical. A clean sheet on top of that helps a lot.”
Röhl was particularly encouraged by Rangers work without the ball and the influence of his newer arrivals in tightening things up.
“The way we defend is improving a lot,” he added.
“It makes a big difference to have the right profiles in, and you can see the team is growing.”
Much of the pre-match focus had been on the forwards, and Bojan Miovski answered that scrutiny in the best possible way with a brace.
Röhl revealed that the striker’s upturn is no accident.
“For me it’s a result of the last seven days,” he explained.
“We spoke together about what I need from him and what he was feeling.
“Against Dundee United he took big steps forward, had good chances and was much more involved instead of staying on the last line all the time.
“Now you see the reward: he works, he moves into the right spaces, and he scores two goals.
“That’s fantastic for him and for us.”
The manager also reserved praise for Mikey Moore, who stepped off the bench and immediately added a different kind of threat in the final third.
“When Mikey comes on, you see his quality,” Röhl said.
“In those 20 minutes he gave us another option. It’s why I speak so much about impact players – if they’re ready when I call them, they can finish games for us.”
Röhl explained his decision to start with three central midfielders was based on the demands of the fixture, anticipating a battle for second balls and long diagonals.
But with an injury to Nedim Bajrami early on – replaced by Findlay Curtis in the first half – a reshuffle was required.
He explained: “It wasn’t really tactical at first – it was because of the problem with Nedim.
“But with all the channel balls, it was important to have a plus one at the back.
“We have to use the bench smartly.
“If we bring real impact from there, we can see games out or decide them.”
On Bajrami, Röhl was cautiously optimistic: “He felt something and we took him off at the right time.
“When it starts to cramp or feel wrong, it’s better to come out.
“Hopefully it’s nothing serious.”
Asked whether the performance backed up his belief that Rangers can still chase down the sides above them, Röhl was careful not to get carried away.
“In some phases, especially around 55 to 65 minutes, we dominated a very strong team,” he admitted.
“But I won’t make the mistake of talking too much about what we can do in the future.
“It’s step by step, the next three points. A few days ago everything felt negative; now we won’t overrate this result.
“We delivered today, and we have to keep doing that.”