On the weekend when Rangers stretched their lead in the Scottish Premiership title race, an Ibrox loanee farmed out to one of our rivals deserves a lot of thanks.
Grateful Rangers fans sent messages of support to on-loan “secret agent” Hibs winger Jamie Murphy after he scored one and assisted another to do his bit as Celtic drew 2-2 at Easter Road.
That result presented an opportunity to Rangers and the Ibrox club grabbed it with both hands, dumping Aberdeen 4-0 to extend their lead to eleven points in the title race.
Celtic might have two games in hand, but there’s an increasing nervousness at Parkhead with manager Neil Lennon facing the sack if results persist.
It’s not the first time a Rangers loanee has had a considerable impact on Celtic this season, Rangers academy graduate Ross McCrorie helping the Dons to a 3-3 draw with Neil Lennon’s side only last month.
Both players will join Hibs and Aberdeen respectively come the end of the season but sending the duo out on loan first has been a stroke of genius in the Rangers camp.
Murphy and McCrorie have both directly contributed to taking points off Celtic this season whilst both are first-team players at their clubs who cannot play against Rangers.
It hands the Gers an advantage every time they play Hibs and Aberdeen whilst also strengthening these sides against Celtic – and so far its working.
With the winter window on the horizon, could Rangers do the same with fringe stars Jordan Jones and Greg Stewart?
Jones’ Covid-19 guideline breach has him in the doghouse with Rangers fans but he would go some way to redeeming himself if he could move elsewhere in the Scottish Premiership and take points off our rivals.
Greg Stewart is another player with considerable experience at this level who could do the damage for a Kilmarnock, Motherwell or Dundee United.
If neither player is getting a look in at Ibrox, then why not give them the opportunity to influence matches elsewhere in Scotland and play a part in Rangers’ title charge?
