Rangers' find their 'level', Borna Barisic's future and an entire club uniting - points from the Gary McAllister presser

He didn’t let anyone down as the Ibrox men produced their best performance of the season at exactly the right time.

After a stuttering start marked by slow, disjointed performances this was a welcome tonic.

Rangers suddenly had electricity running through their veins and looked much more like the effective unit that steamrolled its way to the title without defeat last season.

Here’s what McAlister had to say to various media outlets in the aftermath of the game.

On the improvement in and out of possession

To the press conference after the match: “Building into this game, and it always sounds as if it might be excuses but the manager at no point has been able to select from a whole squad. We have loads of issues and you have been well aware of it. People have been suspended, European bans.

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"So everything is just starting to blend back together and more people are starting to be available. In terms of today, people can go away now and look at that game. They have to take it and watch the game back because out of possession and in possession that’s the level. That’s the level that we have got to try to achieve every game. Sometimes you can’t do it every game. But that’s the level.”

Rangers have been forced to suffer a fair amount of criticism for a staid beginning to the campaign but there have been clear reasons for the slight malaise. Injury, suspension, Covid and international tournaments have played their part and it’s clearly felt inside the management team that only now are the true Rangers emerging. It was a superb tactical performance today, reminiscent of their best in Europe over recent seasons and it’s no surprise to see McAllister highlight their work without the ball as being crucial. A big part of the success of Rangers has been their diligence as a unit in forcing teams to play on the outside of a solid core and that takes blood, sweat and tears from the players. In some games that intensity has been lacking but today was a marked improvement that will breed confidence for the future. A warning though, Celtic showed they won’t be the pushovers of the late Lennon era, and only a Rangers side at today’s levels will be sure to lift championship number 56.

On the coming together of the entire club

To RangersTV: “You know as well as I do that we’ve had a real tough four or five days. Loads of stuff happening around the club, around the players, around the staff. But you saw a coming together of a football club, a big football club. Right from the very top, the chairman, to the people who help us at the training ground and I’ve got to say, the fans were pretty special as well.”

The issues of the last few days have been highly publicised and any match where the manager is unavailable to attend is sure to be subject to a fairly serious level of upheaval. It’s clear Rangers have made the coming together of the team in adversity a major focus. McAllister mentions everyone from the boardroom to the fans playing a part and it’s this sense of collective purpose that may have helped spur on a struggling team to hit their stride once again. It’s clever management and whoever came up with the idea, McAllister has delivered the message with a settling level of calm amid the Covid storm. He has performed as well as his charges for his absent gaffer.

On Borna Barisic's future

To the press conference after the match: "You never know. What I would say, that just might be a wee reminder to himself that that’s his level. That was Borna Barisic back at his very best. And it’s good to see."

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Barisic’s emotional reaction after the game was jarring. The Croat cut a tearful figure as he kissed the pitch and speculation he might be saying his goodbyes were exacerbated by comments from Kris Boyd in the aftermath of the game. McAllister was coy in his reaction and it certainly seems a possibility that long-mooted interest from a top five league could be coming to fruition. At 28, Barisic has reached the age where it’s now or never and if Rangers can get a good fee, it’s a good time for him to depart. As good as he’s been for the club, Calvin Bassey looks primed to become a star and someone needs to move on to balance the books. Nobody will be unhappy if he remains at Ibrox come Tuesday morning but of all the stars in the team, he’s someone whose sale makes sense for all parties, including the player himself who will get to test his talents against the best.

Leon Balogun's brilliant performance

To Rangers TV: "You would have to say Leon was obviously signed here as a centre-back but he's very much in our thoughts as a third-choice right-back.

“I thought today he handled it and he showed defensively that he is very capable of playing there against a difficult opponent - it was a proper man's performance. I know it is something Graeme Souness uses a lot, but that was a proper man's performance."

Balogun has had a tough season so far and has been forced to take some heavy criticism after his two mistakes led to goals for Malmo at Ibrox. But it should not be forgotten the Nigerian has been a solid performer since arriving in a shock deal from Wigan last summer. He’s a solid player who has added much to the squad and amid the hysteria over a weak spell, he has stood tall and strong. Facing Kyogo Furuhashi would have been daunting for any player given the superb impact the Japanese striker has had across the city but Balogun hunted him to such an extent that Ange Postecoglou switched his star man to the opposite wing. As McAllister correctly said, it was a performance of quality and experience by a man who is clearly mentally robust.