There was a time earlier in the campaign when the difference between the haves and the have nots, between the starters and the substitutes, was obvious at Ibrox. Today, it is hard to tell the difference and to favour one over the other.
Danny Rohl made the point himself in recent days as he detailed the matches behind closed doors that he uses to finalise his preparations for the real stuff as Rangers go in search of titles and trophies this term. The German lines up the team that he has selected to play against those who will feature from the bench. When he does so, he sees the strength and depth of his squad.
The arrival of four players, all of whom could be considered as starters, in the January window has helped upgrade Rohl’s options. At Fir Park, he will also have Manny Fernandez and Youssef Chermiti to call upon once again.
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Rohl sits at the table these days with a strong hand to play. The levels have been raised, and the decisions have become tougher to make.
The choice at centre-forward is a case in point. Chermitti is back, Ryan Naderi is coming off a brace against Queen’s Park and Bojan Miovski has scored twice in his last two matches and eleven times in all competitions. For the North Macedonian, it is a welcome situation as he looks to play his own part in the bid for the Premiership title and Scottish Cup in the coming months.
“Yeah, you don't see a difference [in the quality],” Miovski said when asked about the training matches between those that Rohl has selected to start and the players picked for the bench. “This is a big club. Whatever he did, he performed straight away. So that's good for the team.
“Yeah, of course [they are lively]. Every time you want to prove to the coach that you want to play. And everyone is with this mindset.
“[The manager] brings a lot of good energy to the team. We spend a lot of time in meetings with each other, testing things that he wants to have on the team. We have a lot of games in a short period but now we look like a good team.
“It's all game by game. Every time I go with the same mindset to score and try to help the team. So, that's that from there.
“Yeah, it's always nice when you have competition in big clubs like this. You always need to compete. Of course, it's not as when you're in the comfort zone. But of course, it's nice to have competition and we can push each other. And that is good for the team.”
The meeting with Motherwell is the latest must-win encounter for a side that have become accustomed to producing big performances and picking up big results of late. Hearts arrive at Ibrox this weekend, while the double-header with Celtic follows a trip to face Livingston.
Rangers are in a good place on and off the park. Events elsewhere will naturally have an impact on their fortunes but the focus is inwards as Rohl continues to build momentum and a feelgood factor within a group that has grown individually and collectively at a remarkable rate.
“When the results are coming, you build the confidence,” Miovski said. “And of course, we have now more competition, so it's nice to push each other.
“So, always when you come at this stage of the season, the teams are coming when we are close. So, it's always big games. But it's all game by game. We're only focused on one game.
“Yeah, of course [the mentality has improved]. When you win games, it gives you a lot of confidence. And of course, we are professional football players and we have a strong mindset.
“As I said, we go game by game. It's still a long game. We have a lot of games to play. We are only focused, we stay on the ground. We are only focused for the next one.”
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