Rangers achieved the objective with a victory on Saturday, but the win over Kilmarnock was followed by an admission from Derek McInnes.
The Gers made it seven wins on the bounce on Saturday, continuing the crucial momentum from before the long international break.
That three-week hiatus did not sit well with McInnes, who railed against the enforced downtime, stating that it was too long.
With the 3-1 win recorded, it makes sense to be outspoken after a victory and not be overly negative after dropped points.
Now Rangers can look forward to Dundee on Saturday evening.
Rangers got the job done early
Saturday was all about the three points for Rangers.
Too many returns from international breaks have come and gone without getting the job done. That wasn’t the case against Kilmarnock.
The game was out of sight by half-time, even if there was a price to pay after the break.
A brace from Ryan Naderi and a Kevin Kelsy strike had the three points in the bag early on.
The second half brought a significant drop in the level of performance and application from the Rangers players.
McInnes wasn’t happy, but it has to be put into context, with the manager’s comments revealing his thoughts.
This break’s far too long – Derek McInnes
Speaking after the 3-1 win at Ibrox, McInnes stated:
“So I was reluctant to make too many changes. I’m just looking for a wee bit more certainty with what we’ve had over the last few weeks. I felt that the second half was far from where we needed to be.
“We’ve got the job done. There’s a bit of understanding for me that where the players have been, this break’s far too long. Whoever has come up with this idea…I think it’s such a long time for your players to be away.
He continued:
“I was convinced, seduced maybe, that everything was fine and good to go.
“But I actually think, in the hindsight of the game, there was maybe a lot of mental fatigue there in the performance. But I’m not talking about dropped points here. We’ve won the game, we went top of the league, and there’s so many positives.”
And that’s what matters.
The manager, his staff and the players can chew the fat over the weekend’s fixture, and moving forward, from a position of strength.
Another three points are on the board and now attention turns to Dundee on Saturday.
Full training isn’t set to resume until Tuesday and that’s a good thing. Normalisation will follow with all the training and match preparations.
The domestic campaign continues.
We’ve won the game, we went top of the league, and there’s so many positives still.
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