Gordon Smith: Rest will do Rangers no harm ahead of Scottish Cup final

Hibs defender Arthur Duncan (left) inadvertenly heads the ball past goalkeeper Jim McArthur as Rangers striker Gordon Smith looks on, Scottish Cup final replay, 1979

In the 1978-79 season, I was part of a Rangers side which played 61 games in total and 24 in the space of just three months.

That was a huge workload, especially in March, April and May when the combination of having to catch up on domestic fixtures lost to bad weather while still campaigning in Europe trapped us in a cycle of play/prepare to play/play over and over again.

While we reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup, losing narrowly to Cologne, and won the Scottish Cup, beating Hibs after a second replay, you can believe me when I tell you we were running on empty by the season’s end.

Scottish champions the previous year, we lost out by three points to Celtic who beat us 4-2 right in the midst of our busiest spell.

John Greig, who had succeeded Jock Wallace as manager, did his best but there was no question it took a toll on us, with some players picking up injuries and others too fatigued to do themselves justice.

Those who remember the 2002-03 and 2007-08 campaigns – when first Celtic, then Rangers respectively reached the UEFA Cup Final only to be pipped by the other in the league – should know exactly what I am talking about.

For current Rangers boss Mark Warburton, the problem is a very different one.

In comparison to their predecessors, his players are at a loose end right now – training and having a couple of bounce games when they need to stay sharp.

There has been some debate over whether or not that is a good thing.

The Championship title was secured over a month ago. Not for them the nerve-shredding tension of the play-offs.

They’ve only really had to get “up” for one match since, the Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic.

And since that famous victory, Rangers’ results have suggested the players, albeit subconsciously, have taken their foot off the gas.

Will the rest leave them refreshed and with a new spark for the Cup Final against Hibs on May 21?

Or will they suffer from their lay-off against a Hibees side whose season has now been extended by at least another week after yesterday’s win over Raith Rovers?

I believe it will work in the Light Blues’ favour, and given the prizes on offer, they can have no excuses.

The Scottish Cup would be the club’s first major trophy win since dropping out of the top flight in 2012.

I believe it would also be the most significant piece of silverware they have claimed because of the platform it will allow them to try and mount a significant challenge to Celtic in next year’s Premiership.

Win, and they will also be guaranteed a place in European competition next season, something their legions of fans have been dreaming about.

That will allow Warburton to attract a better quality of player to Ibrox.

And a higher standard of player is exactly what they are going to need if they are to compete at the very top of the division.

I said last summer Celtic would retain the title because their squad was much stronger than any of the other clubs attempting to wrest it away from them.

Despite the shortcomings which have led to the imminent parting of the ways with manager Ronny Deila, that remains the case.

In both the short and the long term, Rangers have work to do.

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