RANGERS got their season underway around this time last year with a win against their Championship opponents Hibs in the first round of the Petrofac Training Cup.
Ten months, three managers, twelve defeats and three cup exits down the line, their campaign ended in acute disappointment and failure as they were unable to secure promotion to the top flight.
So it would be wrong to expect the 6-2 triumph the Ibrox club recorded over their Easter Road rivals on Saturday at the same stage of the same competition to be a precursor to a successful campaign.
The latest encounter between Hibs and Rangers certainly, with no fewer than eight goals netted and many more excellent scoring chances squandered, made for compelling viewing in the capital at the weekend.
Yet, the defending of both participants, the home team in particular, was nothing short of diabolical. The rustiness of many of the players involved after a long summer off was apparent throughout the 90 minutes.
Both Hibs, as was certainly the case in the 2014/15 campaign when they recovered from a dreadful start to finish runners-up, and Rangers will develop and improve in that department as they play more meaningful games in the weeks ahead.
The Glasgow club will surely not, for all the creativity they now possess and threat they pose up front, come up against a side which affords them so many opportunities in the final third in the second tier again this term.
Nevertheless, this outing gave another glimpse of the style of football Rangers will play under their new manager Warburton, who savoured a sweet success in his first competitive match in charge, in the coming months.
The Englishman’s approach has certainly whetted the appetite of supporters who grew disillusioned with the often stodgy fare served up in recent years and excited the group of players which he has at his disposal.
Kenny Miller, who came off the bench in the second half and netted his side’s final two goals to stake a strong claim for future inclusion in the starting line-up, has certainly been impressed.
“He has brought a real enthusiasm,” he said. “Obviously he has Davie Weir with him and the two of them work very closely together. They are on the same hymn sheet and they want everyone to pull together.
“That’s what they have really tried to do – pull us together as a group. They want to get us believing that we are a good team and get us believing in the things they want us to do.
“I think in the first four games we have tried to carry out the manager’s instructions to the letter. We are only in four weeks. We are only going to get better and stronger as the season goes on.”
Rangers looked anything but a good team as Hibs dominated the early exchanges and took the lead through a soft Sam Stanton effort which keeper Wes Foderingham will not enjoy seeing again. Their manager admitted afterwards they were fortunate not to fall three goals behind.
But the willingness of his side to build play gradually from the back – Foderingham got himself in a fankle on a couple of occasions attempting to pass the ball to his full-backs and centre backs instead of clearing to safety – despite trailing was admirable and noticeable.
The visitors adapted to the game and staged a stirring comeback. Andy Halliday scored a stunning long-range strike, Jason Holt was impressive in central midfield, James Tavernier capped a fine display by curling in a well-taken free-kick and Martyn Waghorn boosted his confidence with a brace. All four players only signed last week.
Miller returned to Rangers for an unprecedented third spell last year full of hope that Ally McCoist’s side could win their third consecutive title and go up. So he is cautious about getting carried away after just three pre-season friendlies and one cup tie. He is, however, encouraged by progress so far.
“We were optimistic last season,” he said. “We just didn’t know how difficult it was going to be. That’s gone now. There is nothing we can do about it now. We have a new team, a new staff and everyone is looking forward. We want to get better and stronger as the season goes on.
“We are assembling a decent squad. We maybe looked a bit light beforehand, but in the last few weeks we have made some really good additions. They will hopefully stand us in good stead for the season because it is not just about that first XI on the pitch. It is about the squad.”
The ongoing speculation about the future of Scott Allan, the Rangers signing target who Stubbs left out of his starting line-up, will not have helped the Hibs cause. Scott Martin, who did well on his first team debut, is adamant his side will improve significantly.
“The team isn’t the finished article,” he said. “There are a lot of youngsters in that side. We had to make changes with injuries. We play Rangers in the third game of the season and we’ll definitely be stronger and up to it then.”
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