WHO needs a week off when you are playing like this?

In monsoon conditions in Govan, Rangers reeled off their eighth win in a row, knocking in four decent goals, while a sixth consecutive clean sheet for Steve Simonsen means it is now 621 minutes since their goal has been breached.

Due to a board decision, as opposed to a managerial one, the club will be active during this international week - in line with the rest of the Championship - with a home meeting with Alloa Athletic on Saturday.

Kenny Miller, for one, threw his support behind the decision to fulfil that fixture, rather than allow leaders Hearts a free chance to extend the gap at the top beyond four points ahead of the showdown between the two teams on November 22.

While new Scotland call-up Lewis Macleod - who scored one and set up another yesterday - be a significant absentee against Alloa, it is worth pointing out that none of the club's other international players, Bilel Mohsni, Arnold Peralta, Dean Shiels or Marius Zaliukas, featured in this victory.

"Obviously we have had the chance to take a break over the international weekends over the last couple of months, but this time I think it is important to play that game," said Miller. "It doesn't let Hearts get that week to try to get some more breathing space. It is important we take advantage of that and go into the Hearts game full of confidence."

One hundred years on from the start of the Great War, Ibrox remembered the fallen with a card display in the Sandy Jardine stand pre-match. A respectful minute's silence was observed, although the damp conditions meant that just one blast of artillery gun was heard, rather than two.

Ally McCoist also wheeled out his big guns, with the inclusion of David Templeton, who started his first match since mid-October in the place of Steven Smith, a statement of attacking intent from the home side. Despite only sitting mid-table, Falkirk offered the promise of resistance.

But this never really transpired. Instead, when Rangers got the ball down on the waterlogged surface it became clear they were capable of passing them apart. With Lee Wallace on his best rampaging form down the left, Miller was the first to threaten, forcing Jamie MacDonald to save with his feet from an angle.

The former Hearts goalkeeper was tested again by the same player after Joe Shaughnessy ran 70 yards to make a despairing, diving challenge on Wallace.

As smoothly as the left side of the field was functioning for the home side, the opener came from the right. Former Ranger Roy Loy dallied after a low cross was only half cleared and Nicky Law punished him by lashing a low drive into the bottom corner.

Templeton fired wide at one end, then the impressive Will Vaulks saw his deflected shot ripple the sidenetting at the other, but the game was still alive at half-time.

We were into the last quarter of the match, a disgruntled-looking Kris Boyd having been withdrawn from the fray, before things really started to go awry for the visitors. As in so many of Rangers' key moments of their season, the catalyst was Macleod. The 20-year-old, who has earned his maiden call-up for the full Scotland squad for the matches against the Republic of Ireland and England, quiet for the most part, still came up with the quality his side needed.

Miller funnelled the ball wide to substitute Jon Daly, and was ready to nod in his excellent cross until Macleod beat him to it after a late run, propelling the ball smartly beyond MacDonald. It was his eighth of the season, making him joint top scorer.

"He did take that goal off me!" Miller said. "But he can carry on doing that as long as he puts them away like that. As a team, we are getting there, but I wouldn't say we are anywhere near the finished article.

"One thing that is definitely improving is the team ethic to stop goals going in. That is five clean sheets in a row which is not to be sniffed at."

The floodgates were now well and truly open. Macleod repaid Miller for the theft of his goal with a low centre which the former Scotland man converted immaculately with his left foot.

One last burst and cut back from Wallace presented substitute Nicky Clark with the fourth. The manner of this collapse did little for Peter Houston. The Falkirk manager said: "At 1-0 there wasn't a lot in it. I tried to encourage them to believe we could win - but I was the only one who did."