The Steven Davis Rangers intervention that epitomises 'more to offer' judgement

“I’m running out of plaudits for Davo. He doesn’t give up, keeps going until the end and has provided a real big moment that’s given us a lifeline,” he said of the midfielder’s late goal to keep the two-legged tie alive.

12 months on and under a new manager, Davis continues to defy any notion of regression. After 87 minutes of yesterday’s 2-0 win over Kilmarnock, his tendency to ‘keep going’ and provide a significant impact came good once more.

After a turnover high up the pitch late on, the Northern Irishman acted aggressively, pursuing the prospect of an attack rather than falling back to protect a delicate one-goal lead.

Dispossessing Oli Shaw, Davis turned a potential moment of danger into one of opportunity. Managing to intercept the ball at the feet of Shaw before the Kilmarnock forward had even braced for pressure.

He followed up the regain with a defence-splitting pass into the path of Rabbi Matondo, who would maraud forward and assist Alfredo Morelos.

Davis was more alive than any other player to jump on an attack that had broken down and launch another.

This writer chose Malik Tillman as his man of the match, given the youngster's success in playing through the Kilmarnock block but upon second viewing, Davis’ 90-minute showing was perhaps more deserving of that accolade. 62 of his 67 passes found their target and when possible, a forward option was chosen.

“He was one of the players at the end of last season who we sat down with and spoke about his future, given his age. He felt he had more in him,” Giovanni van Bronckhorst said of the midfielder post-match.

“You can see when he plays today he is a player who is a great example because of the way he is as a professional, making sure he can play on a really high level at his age. He looks strong and today his performance was really good.”

Then aged 36 and very much the centre of Gerrard’s team, now nearing 38 and still capable of forcing his way back into the team, despite rarely featuring during van Bronckhorst’s initial months at Ibrox. Yesterday’s decisive involvement just before full-time encapsulated why Davis still has a role to play and solidified his belief that he still has plenty to offer.

During the 2020/21 season, he enjoyed arguably the finest nine months of his career as Rangers went an entire league campaign undefeated. As the deep-lying midfielder, he led the charge to break down defences, not only through his use of the ball in possession, but by positioning himself aggressively to regain pressure and launch attacks when the ball turned over. After all, successful teams don’t only coordinate their attacks, they also refine their structure to ensure opponents cannot escape up the pitch, punctuating the attacking team’s momentum and relieving pressure.

You need only cast your mind back one week to find an example of why this ploy is necessary when facing a defensive team. Livingston were able to disrupt Rangers’ attacking rhythm by seeking out Joel Nouble who regularly won free-kicks and carried his side forwards. Davis excels in snuffing out these counterattacks before they’ve been launched, as evidenced by the tackle on Shaw.

As the Rangers Review highlighted around a year ago, Davis' intelligent positioning allows him to intercept turnovers and continue attacks, ensuring opponents remain penned in and Rangers’ attacking momentum undeterred.

He can prod and punch at an opposition defence unlike his midfield counterparts, orchestrating its unravelling and still, at the age of 37, possesses the physical attributes to play a full match in the middle. He may well need to regularly this season with no other deep-lying creator at the club. Based on the body of evidence available, Rangers are a better team domestically with Davis in the starting 11.