Rangers fans have been saluting Ryan Jack on his return to the Ibrox side as the Gers ran out 4-2 winners over Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.
Steven Gerrard’s side welcomed the Staggies to Ibrox and before a ball was kicked the near-capacity crowd observed a minute of silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
With international duty set to take place next week, this was Rangers’ opportunity to pay their respects and in the style of the Ibrox club, the silence was impeccably observed whilst fans produced a special display in the Sandy Jardine in honour of the nation’s war dead.
On the pitch, it was an increasingly all-too-familiar start for Rangers as the club fell behind to an early goal from County striker Joseph Hungbo.
This was the fifth match in a row that Rangers fell behind first and the 11th time the club has done so this season.
It is a worrying trend and whilst Rangers have found a way to battle back into matches, this is a sizeable cause for concern that must be addressed in the weeks to come.
Rangers comfortable in the end as Ryan Jack return please Gers fans
Nigerian midfielder Joe Aribo – impressive throughout the game – nodded the Gers back level from a James Tavernier corner before Ryan Kent announced his return to Ibrox with a stunning strike.
The Gers winger has been missing for seven weeks and after returning against Brondby in midweek, showed his class to whip a stunning effort over County keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer.
After the restart, the impressive Juninho Bacuna – one of five changes from the draw with Brondby – got his first goal for the club.
A fine finish after nice work with Joe Aribo, Bacuna was good for the goal and was a positive, progressive presence in the midfield throughout.
Alex Iaocovitti would then turn the ball into his own net from a James Tavernier cross to make it four with Jordan White adding a late consolation for County.
But whilst the victory was welcome – as was Ryan Kent’s scoring return to Ibrox – the headlines belong to one man and one man only.
Ryan Jack hasn’t been seen for four months – that’s ever since the 4-1 win over Dundee United in February last year – and after the lengthy lay-off was introduced to raucous applause with 20 minutes to play.
Whilst the Rangers win was naturally the biggest takeaway from the match, the return of Ryan Jack dominated much of the conversation amongst fans post-match:
https://twitter.com/eileenfiona__/status/1457394332634337283
https://twitter.com/colegamble_/status/1457385003134955526
The result puts Rangers back four points clear in the Scottish Premiership ahead of the international break as the Gers lick their wounds and prepare for a hectic festive period.
There is still plenty to be improved upon from a Rangers POV but with the club still going strong in four competitions they’ll take this chance to regroup and look forward to the Christmas run-in.
Meanwhile, a leading football finance expert has claimed that Rangers’ ambitions to be profitable by 2022 are “achievable”.