WHEN it comes to the appliance of science, football has always been a giddy mix of chin-stroking, pretentious theory and pie and Bovril-style reality. Many moons ago, Wing Commander Charles Reep took a pencil and some paper to a Swindon Town versus Bristol Rovers match and began a scribbling, note-taking crusade that would lead to him becoming football’s first performance analyst as his calculations and cobblings spawned such pearls of wisdom like “it takes, on average, 10 shots to get one goal” or “80 per cent of goals are scored within three or less passes”. It was basically an E=Mc2 formula on the long-ball game.

Mark Warburton has his own scientific theories on how the game should be played and the Rangers manager is certainly not a disciple of Reep’s lump-it-up-the-park philosophy. The Ibrox club’s own form of attacking zeal has brought plenty of rewards this season and 61 goals in the league is the most by any club in Britain’s senior divisions. As far as raking over stats and poring over fine detail is concerned, though, Warburton and Reep probably would have got on like a house on fire.

“Every day we have analysis,” said Warburton as he reflected on the intense, daily observations that would have had George Orwell peering over his shoulder. “We talked about an attacking philosophy when we first came here and as a team we have created a lot of chances and there’s been a number of games where we have missed chances. Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t, but the key for us is to create chances.

“We talk about getting to the right areas. From the right side we tend to cross from a deeper area, from the left side we get right to the byeline. If our centre-forward comes short, we want to get runners on beyond so we are not static in key areas. If we can get that right, then the chances naturally follow. For us, it’s all about the quality of the chance and I don’t mean the 35-yard speculative shot that hits Row X.”

It’s a good job Warburton’s players seem to be following all of this because this correspondent almost swallowed his own brain trying to keep up with all this footballing philosophising.

“All the players have their own personal website set up by the department that they can go into, look at all of their performances, touches, future opponents, their strengths and weaknesses,” said Warburton, who has been performing his usual swotting-up exercise ahead of tomorrow night’s encounter with Morton. “It’s all part of preparing for the next game so every player has access to that.

“We are not saying to the players ‘you will do this’. We are saying, ‘these are the problems we encounter’.You can’t ask players to be robots but you can turn around and say when we played against this team or that team the last time they tend to favour going up the right side or favour playing to the centre-half or kicking long to the wide full-back. Our job is to counter it and then hurt them. The players have been first class, they are embracing it, they are hungry and they want success.”

It has been a case of so far, so good. While Martyn Waghorn has banged in 27 goals this season – his prolific form was one of the reasons Tottenham teenager Nathan Oduwa was allowed to return south earlier than planned – James Tavernier has plundered a decent number for himself too and 11 goals from the defender highlights Rangers’s attacking flair.

“I’ve never managed double figures before,” he said with a smile.

As Warburton attempts to bolster his attacking options, the will-he-won’t-he saga involving Michael O’Halloran’s transfer from St Johnstone rumbles on. Whatever the outcome, and whoever Rangers manage to bring in during the January window, Tavernier is adamant that any newcomers won’t just march straight into the starting line-up.

“Like everyone who comes here, he [O’Halloran] is going to have to work hard and try to get into the team,” he said. “The gaffer likes rotation. He likes to see if players are training well and if they are they will get their chance on match day at the weekend. I’d like to think no-one is guaranteed a place. If he comes it will provide more competition for places and that can only make the team better.”

With Hibernian and Falkirk breathing down their necks, there can be no room for slacking.