MIKE ASHLEY'S involvement with Rangers has been a source of deep concern for supporters of the Ibrox club for some time.

Even now that a new regime has ousted a board the Sports Direct owner effectively controlled, his ongoing influence is a worry for them.

Speculation the billionaire owns the rights to their trademarks and club crest - a symbol that is sacred to every fan - was greeted with alarm last week.

An official club statement released last night confirmed the security the Newcastle United owner has over those iconic emblems will be returned when his £5million loan is repaid.

But extricating Rangers from its tie-ins with Ashley - or forming a mutually acceptable working relationship - is one of the great challenges for the club directors going forward.

There is no guarantee, despite the confidence they displayed after winning the EGM last month, that Dave King and his associates will be able to do either.

Even though individuals who the majority of Gers followers back have assumed power, the future remains uncertain at a club that needed an interest-free loan of £1.5m last month.

Yet, there is one thing the Cockney businessman has done for the Glasgow giants that even his fiercest critic will be grateful for.

Lend them Haris Vuckic.

The agreement that took five St James' Park fringe players to Ibrox for the second half of the 2014/15 campaign was typical of many of those involving Ashley.

The quintet, who signed on at Murray Park in February without the knowledge of caretaker manager Kenny McDowall, did not undergo medicals.

Kevin Mbabu and Gael Bigirimana have not so much as featured in a squad. Remi Streete, meanwhile, has played for less than a half.

Northern Ireland internationalist Shane Ferguson, meanwhile, has been recovering from knee surgery and only arrived last night.

The fact that Rangers are paying Newcastle £5,000 a week for their services and will be due them a £500,000 bonus if they win promotion has not gone down well.

Slovenian internationalist Vuckic, though, has been nothing short of outstanding for the SPFL League One champions.

He netted another stunning goal, redolent of the one he had stroked home seven days earlier against Championship winners Hearts, against Raith Rovers yesterday.

Incredibly, the midfielder, who was once again fielded in his favoured berth on the right side by manager Stuart McCall, has now scored in five consecutive games at Ibrox.

The 22-year-old took his tally in this country to seven when he cut inside, surged past two opposition defenders and curled a left-foot shot into the bottom corner.

Several Rangers players performed well in the 4-0 triumph over Raith and appear to be hitting decent form as they approach the business end of the season.

But Vuckic has been consistently excellent and will be an important player as his side push to win promotion to the Premiership via the play-offs next month.

It would be ironic if a player who only became available, albeit at a considerable price thanks to the association with Ashley, played a key role as Rangers went up.

"I said after I saw Haris in my first training session that he has fantastic ability," said McCall. "But he has obviously got fitter as a result of the games he has played.

"His match fitness is good. He is looking strong at the end of games. Before he was flagging after 50 or 60 minutes. He has benefited from having a lot of time on the park.

"So, yeah, he is important for us. He is certainly a goal threat for us. Every time he cuts in on his left foot you expect the net to bulge."

Nicky Clark got Rangers off to a perfect start as they sought to bounce back from their humiliating 3-0 defeat at the hands of Queen of the South at Palmerston Park on Thursday night.

He headed home from a Nicky Law corner early on to settle the nerves of the home supporters in the 31,427-strong crowd.

Law himself, who has been transformed since his former Motherwell manager McCall took over, pitched in with a fine brace in the second half.

The 4-0 triumph kept Rangers level on points with Hibs, convincing 2-0 victors over Hearts in the Edinburgh derby at Easter Road, in the second-tier table.

They improved their goal difference with the triumph and will go into their game in hand against Livingston at Almondvale on Wednesday night confident they can edge clear of their capital rivals.

McCall dropped Bilel Mohsni, Lee Robinson and David Templeton and brought in Robbie Crawford, Cammy Bell and Dean Shiels. The changes had the desired impact.

Selecting Crawford at right-back raised a few eyebrows, but the 21-year-old, a supreme athlete, did well and overlapped on numerous occasions.

McCall said: "I think he was shocked when I told him where he was playing. But I thought we would have a lot of the ball and he wouldn't have a lot of defending to do so I picked him there.

"He is the fittest lad at the club and I felt we needed a bit of energy to drive us on. I thought he was terrific."

Crawford's showing in defence there certainly gives his manager another option entering the final four league games of this term and then the play-off matches following that.

McCall was relieved to bounce back from a humiliating result three days earlier - but he was not getting carried away with a comfortable win and made a pertinent point to his charges.

He said: "We had everything to play for and Raith Rovers (who are not involved in either the promotion hunt or relegation battle) didn't."