Stuart McCall is now a key figure in Rangers’ history

Stuart McCall can transform the Rangers team by changing their style of play.

Bringing the former Motherwell manager in to replace Kenny McDowall made perfect sense.

The new regime in the Boardroom had watched the team drop four points from their first two games.

I have seen from my time in football that a change in management can make a big difference.

The relationship between manager and players is like a chemical reaction. You can’t always identify the impact of specific changes, but the overall effect brings success to the team.

Many people believe that McCall’s job is almost impossible because the players simply aren’t good enough.

My view is that the current Rangers players are much better than they currently appear.

Many arrived at the club with a good pedigree after having achieved a great deal at a higher level.

Individually and collectively, they have under-performed.

Richard Gough labelled the current team as the worst in Rangers’ history.

To a degree, he’s right but there is still time to change that.

McCall has quickly and correctly identified that confidence is sadly lacking amongst the players.

He will be working to raise morale, and he can contribute to that by changing the style of play.

Rangers have been playing far too many long balls.

Last midweek, they were outplayed for large parts of the game by a Queen of the South side who don’t play that way.

The Route One style doesn’t suit the team and causes frustration amongst the crowd. It’s the perfect recipe to drain confidence from players.

Hearts will automatically be promoted to the Premiership as champions, so Rangers have to make sure they finish in second place.

That would mean they could come through the play-offs in four games, instead of six if they finish in third or fourth spot.

I’m not someone who subscribes to the view that another season in the Championship would be good for Rangers.

Things are moving quickly off the field, but what happens on the pitch will have a big influence on how business people and potential investors perceive the club.

Rangers beat three top-flight clubs in cup competitions this season, and I believe that shows they could compete at the top level, although they couldn’t challenge Celtic.

Stuart McCall is now a key figure in Rangers’ history. If he can get them promoted, there is no way his claim to become long-term manager can be ignored.