SPL Fanzone: Rangers

A JANUARY cup tie at a tricky venue such as Gayfield meant for Rangers a win was expected and a draw or loss would have constituted a crisis.

Arbroath chased and harried admirably but the game was over in 22 minutes, with a tidy finish from David Healy and then an own goal forced by incisive one-touch attacking from Jelavic and the excellent Sone Aluko, whose attacking nature, trickery and pace is already making him a shrewd acquisition.

Rangers needed a confidence boost to arrest the slide in form and seven goals and none conceded in the last two games is uplifting. The formidable Goian/Bocanegra pairing is back, Aluko looks assured and the invariably excellent Lee Wallace offers width and pace.

A good transfer window would give cause for optimism that Rangers can realistically challenge for both league and Scottish Cup.

Stephen Smith www.theRST.co.uk