If you thought Father Christmas was busy this week, at least Saint Nick does not have a Scottish Premiership trip to St Mirren on Boxing Day to fret over, unlike Rangers boss Philippe Clement.
Football waits for no man.
And for many of Rangers’ new faces – see Robin Propper, Vaclav Cerny and Jefte, for instance – this is the first time in their careers in which Christmas will be welcomed in with a trip to a hotel, a pre-match training session, and a briefing of St Mirren’s biggest threats.
Philippe Clement knows rotation will be key for Rangers’ hopes of surviving an unforgiving spell of 11 games between now and the start of February.
Clement is delighted to have Ross McCausland back available, while the returns of both Danilo and Ianis Hagi have given the Ibrox chief a few more invaluable options in the final third.
St Mirren boss highlights Danilo and Ianis Hagi returns as he hails Rangers squad
Stephen Robinson, holding his own press conference around 24 hours later, can only dream of the sort of strength in depth available to his opposite number.
Ianis Hagi is like ‘a new signing’ at Rangers, Clement says, after overcoming a contract dispute.
Danilo, meanwhile, was a £5 million signing from Dutch giants Feyenoord. He, like Hagi, was unavailable when Rangers beat St Mirren 2-1 just two months ago.
Robinson arguing that task facing his team on Boxing Day looks a lot tougher than it did back in October, when a Gers side burdened with absentees were in the midst of three defeats in six games.
“The personnel has certainly changed. They are getting players back to fitness, as well,” former Motherwell boss Robinson points out.
“They have got Hagi back again. They have got Danilo back to fitness again. It’s a very good squad, there’s no doubting that. They’ve got very good players.
“So, its a big, big stest for us. We played them receently. We had a really, really good performance of a bad run we were on as well. thats kind of catapulted off into a good run ourselves. We have got a belief going in to the game. We believe we can get something out of the game
“We believe we can go and play with confidence. We’ve not had a signature result for a long time. There is no reason why we cannot get points.”
Nedim Bajrami tipped for No 10 role as Ianis Hagi Genoa rumours are addressed
Clement can choose to deploy Hagi or Danilo in the number ten role, behind either Cyriel Dessers or the in-form Hamza Igamane.
Nedim Bajrami hopes to make the Rangers spot his own, meanwhile, and the Albanian certainly staked his claim with the opening goal during that madcap Scottish League Cup final defeat to Celtic at Hampen Park.
Clement tasks the flexible Bajrami with providing options on either flank as well as through the middle.
Rangers legend Barry Ferguson feels Bajrami is far more effective away from the wing, given that his brain is far faster than his legs.
“Nedim Bajrami is starting to look like a £3 million player now he’s being deployed in the number ten role,” Ferguson tells the Daily Record.
“I really enjoyed the way he got his goal [against Celtic]. He wasn’t just happy to play Igamane in and then stand back admiring his own pass. He was on the move right away because he sniffed there might be the chance for a tap-in if Kasper Schmeichel spilled the shot.
“And that is exactly what happened.”
As for the former £3 million misfit, speculation linking Ianis Hagi with Serie A outfit Genoa has been played down by the Romanian’s agent.
