AS the cameras focused on Craig Whyte, the talk was of takeovers completed and of futures bright or gloomy.

However, just more than two hours after the new Rangers owner took his seat in the stand the most persistent impression was that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Walter Smith’s side are now on the verge of another league title and enduring truths about both the expense and value of quality were exhibited once more.

Smith enjoyed the bountiful benefits of a large transfer budget during his first spell at the club. He has had to be cannier in his second. Yet the Rangers manager could reflect on Saturday night that in football you tend to get what you pay for.

His four major signings -- Steven Naismith, Steve Davis, Kyle Lafferty and Nikica Jelavic -- delivered just enough quality to turn a potentially uncomfortable afternoon into a stroll.

Smith spent a combined total of £12m on these players, which tends to put the £1 Whyte gave Sir David Murray for his shares in the shade. Yet all made significant contributions on Saturday. Naismith was at his buzzing, narky best, though he must have tested severely the patience of Iain Brines, the match referee.

And in fact the Scotland striker was the least impressive of Rangers’ expensive quartet. Lafferty has moved from being a figure of fun to one of influence. He is never going to be an elegant practitioner of the beautiful game but his willingness and strength give him plenty of supporters in the Ibrox stands and, more relevantly, advocates in the technical area. His goal was crucial on Saturday.

Rangers were one up when Allan McGregor, who personifies the adage that sometimes a manager gets something for nothing, saved well from Ian Black, thus initiating a break for the hosts. Lafferty’s finish was emphatic not just in terms of technique but also for the reason that it put the match beyond Hearts with six minutes remaining of the first half.

It is Davis and Jelavic who have, though, driven Rangers to the verge of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title. Davis was oddly out-of-sorts earlier in the season but he has been restored to his best. His pass for the first goal was indicative of a player of technique who has rediscovered his confidence. Jelavic, freed by that swift delivery, bored down on goal and did what he has been doing habitually in the Premier League for Ran gers: in 18 starts in the league, he has scored 14 times.

Jamie MacDonald, the Hearts goalkeeper, looked somewhat crestfallen at having allowed the striker to score from such an unpromising angle but Jelavic was in his element as he basked in the praise of the Ibrox support.

A header by Davis completed the 3-0 scoreline by half-time, rendering Hearts’ brief, promising opening spell illusory. It was in that period that David Templeton, feeding on passes from David Obua, caused Steven Whittaker consternation, on one occasion sliding a shot across goal that missed both the target and the onrushing Ryan Stevenson by inches.

McGregor’s smart save from Black was their only other threatening moment and Rangers would also dominate the second half, with David Healy and Naismith smacking shots off the woodwork before El-Hadji Diouf clipped the ball off Ryan Stevenson for Rangers’ fourth.

By then, Eggert Jonsson had departed play, sent off by Brines after a poor tackle on Jelavic. The roar when the Croat regained his feet was similar in noise and enthusiasm to any of the post-goal celebrations.

The Rangers support know that their team is in touching distance of the league title. It would be much more of a stretch if Jelavic was missing. It is not just the goals he scores but their importance. Saturday’s strike paved the way for victory. Goals at New Douglas Park and Pittodrie recently have delivered six points. One at Hampden gave Rangers the Co-operative Insurance Cup.

For Hearts, it became an increasingly disconsolate day. Andy Webster and Lee Wallace were late call-offs. Marius Zaliukas was “unavailable for selection”, presumably because of a contract dispute with the Hearts owner, Vladimir Romanov. Jonsson is now suspended for the visit of Celtic and Templeton is an injury doubt.

The biggest absence for Hearts, however, has been the imposing presence of Kevin Kyle. They won games with him. Increasingly, they are drawing and losing matches without him.

The outlook for Smith, though, is considerably sunnier. Lee McCulloch returned as a substitute and Rangers seem fit and ready for the final matches. The Rangers manager hopes to depart with a title. He knows that the outlay on men like Jelavic, Naismith, Davis and Lafferty has given him the chance to be at the centre of the fondest of farewells.

For Whyte, the adage of value for money has still to be assessed. The scoreline of 4-0 will have pleased this Rangers supporter from Motherwell. He will have been more interested, however, in another bottom line. The meeting between Rangers, heavy favourites for the title, and Hearts, the third biggest club in Scotland in terms of support, attracted 46,178.