It’s the sensible thing to do: Kenny Dalglish has his say on Rangers’ short term January transfer deals

RANGERS may well hand debuts to a few of their new signings in Wednesday’s Premiership match against Aberdeen.

They will be under the microscope to see how they perform in what can be described as an extremely tricky tie.

It’s never easy to predict how any new player will settle at a club or how successful he will be, particularly when it is a loan signing for five months.

But I’m of the opinion that Jason Cummings, Russell Martin and Jamie Murphy will do well.

Cummings performed well for Hibernian for two years and showed his ability over a period of time.

It’s not quite gone to plan for him at Nottingham Forest, and that’s why he has decided to come back up to Scotland.

He needs to show the people at Rangers and, indeed, their supporters that he is able and committed to the challenge.

Martin is a seasoned campaigner and I recall him playing well for Scotland on a number of occasions. He will bring leadership on and off the park, as he is a respected professional. He will slot in nicely, whether it’s at right-back or at the heart of the defence.

Murphy has been a Rangers supporter all his days and will be determined to make this move a success. He has a nice left foot on him and has the ability to score goals and provide assists.

Sean Goss has signed from QPR and we will need to reserve judgment on that one until we see him in action.

All four lads have been signed on loan deals from their respective clubs. Rangers have been given an opportunity to bring them all to Ibrox because they haven’t been getting regular top-team football.

I know some people aren’t in favour of loans, particularly so many, but I think it’s perfect for Rangers at this moment in time.

Let’s not forget that Graeme Murty is on a deal until the end of the season, and his future as Rangers manager isn’t conclusive.

Also, the board backed the previous manager, Pedro Caixinha, in the summer on his recruitment drive with transfer fees and lucrative contracts, but they are not able to do that in every transfer window.

So, it left them in a wee bit of a predicament and this is the road they have decided to go down for the short-term. It’s the sensible thing to do.

It will allow all parties to get a feel for each other and then more concrete decisions can be made in the summer.

Unfortunately the postponement of today’s tricky-looking cup-tie against Fraserburgh delays the new lads’ debut and that match will now be played on Wednesday, January 31.

The Highland League side may well be part-time and Rangers will rightly be heavy favourites, but they will have to go into the rescheduled tie with the right attitude.

They are just back from Florida, where they had a couple of good results, but it’s a long way from the pleasant weather over there to the biting winds and ice-cold temperatures awaiting them in the north of the country.

Of course, Cup shocks can happen and sometimes a wee break of the ball or a red card costs you dearly.

So, sometimes the elements can be costly, but what isn’t acceptable is when you are beaten because of a bad attitude.

The Fraserburgh manager, Mark Cowie, and his players will be right up for the match, even if they’ll have to wait an extra 10 days to get down to business. The town will be buzzing. Their determination and desire to cause the biggest shock in the history of the Scottish Cup won’t be in doubt, but with all respect to them, their level of ability shouldn’t be close to that of the Rangers players.

As long as Murty has his players prepared properly, and they have the right attitude, then they will win the game.

Before then it’s back to league business and I’m sure Murphy, Cummings and Martin will be eager to play in front of a packed Ibrox Stadium.

Their mentality should be that being on the pitch with 50,000 watching you is an incentive, not a deterrent.

I think they will flourish.

There will also be new players to watch later in the afternoon when Hearts play Hibs at Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup.

This Edinburgh derby has the makings of a cracker. When they played in the League a few weeks ago it lacked action and incident as they fought out a fairly forgettable 0-0 draw.

I can see there being more going on in this 90 minutes and wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up 2-2 and back to Easter Road for a replay.