I could have bought three players but I thought it was important for the interests of Rangers.

Words from Dick Advocaat as he watched the fruits of his labour come to pass with the opening of what was then called Murray Park.

It's fitting he used a transfer analogy in describing the short-term sacrifices made for long-term progress.

Transfers are what always excites the fans and at the moment a deal for Croatia international Antonio Colak in the offing.

If the PAOK-led hold-up that's stymied that deal in the last 24 hours is overcome, then the club will have signed a capable target man with a decent goal return and added an excellent option to the squad. The returns on Rangers' £1.8m investment should be tangible.

But what of other things the club are doing that you don't see, the marginal gains being made that only count over the course of the season? These are the ones that come and go without much fanfare.

Well, there's no better example than the club's training ground.

Having spent some time there recently, it's remarkable to see the strides the club are making in their effort to become truly elite. Instituting a culture of Premier League standards behind the scenes might end up being a lasting legacy of Steven Gerrard's reign that few truly realise the impact of. The impression given on a walkabout is of a well-oiled machine and there seems no likelihood of the drive for better standards slowing now the Scouser is gone.

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From new camera systems that allow footage to be beamed back to coaches mid-coaching session to a match day -1 to a training pitch that is made from the exact same hybrid grass at Ibrox in an attempt to replicate the match day environment, it all feels designed to eek the best out of the players.

The 20-year-old facility had seen better days after being left in a state of 2000s stasis thanks to the financial devastation wreaked by errant ownership decisions under the previous board. The work carried out since the arrival of Gerrard, and taken on by Ross Wilson, is the kind that nobody thinks about when assessing the health of a club - yet it's costly, important and necessary.

Walking around the immaculate facility, there is clear separation between academy and the first team area youngsters have to strive toward. With the walls adorned by pictures of recent first-team success, the sense of a modern club is palpable. Where Ibrox is a place of history, tradition and great reverence, it feels right the training centre is more focused on today. And the here and now is of a club quickly growing. 

One of Wilson's passion projects is to ensure a 'one club' philosophy with alignment from the women's team, through the youths and into the first team. Ironically this has also seen the base, designed essentially to house the first team and a much smaller youth academy packing out its current space to the limit.

Perhaps the next unseen evolution will be yet more improvements to what is already an unheralded behind-the-scenes success story.

The prevailing narrative will remain transfers of course, but some things, quiet and unassuming in comparison, can be just as important.

This piece is an extract from today’s Rangers Insider newsletter, which is emailed out at 5pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Rangers Review team.

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