RANGERS beat the transfer deadline to sign Michael O’Halloran on Monday night and the deal for the forward completed a productive month for boss Mark Warburton.

Rangers needed some fresh faces to come in during the window and Mark will be pleased with the business he was able to do.

The big thing in football for a manager when he looks at his squad is competition for places. There are too many players, (and this is not a dig at players at Rangers, because it is the same at any club), that get in a comfort zone and go through the motions.

No matter how badly they play or lethargic they look, they still tend to get a game.

But, if you have players who are fighting for that position, it is easier for a manager to change it and take you out of the team.

Rangers have got plenty of competition in the final third now after O’Halloran joined Harry Forrester and Billy King in making a move to Ibrox.

Rangers have a good squad and Mark was right when he said he had the strongest bench available to him since he came to the club against Raith on Tuesday night.

Those players will be determined to get in the team, so the ones who have the jerseys right now know that they have to play consistently well to stay there.

Billy made quite an impact against Falkirk last weekend and he will be an important player between now and the end of the season.

Once O’Halloran beds in and gets up to speed at Rangers, he will be a really good addition to the side.

He would, of course, have wanted to play against Kilmarnock this weekend but it gives him a chance to train with the squad and watch the game.

He can get used to working with the players and the manager and get used to playing in the system.

Then, come Monday, he will be desperate for the game at Alloa to come next weekend as he looks to get himself into the team.

Mark said this week that he was happy with what he has been able to do this month and I am sure the fans will be as well.

But they, and the manager, know that more players will need to arrive in the summer.

The fans have been wondering whether we would bring in more players in January with a view to next season and Mark is now looking for five or six in the summer.

He has got a list of targets and if he doesn’t get A, he will go for B. If he doesn’t get B, he will go for C.

He will have a long list and he will tell the board who his top targets are and who he really wants. If those deals can’t be done, he will have alternatives. That is for the summer, though.

Right now, Rangers just have to keep doing what they are doing.

They have got a lead at the top of the table, they have got a bit of momentum again and they need to make sure that they go up this season. But, there are no certainties in football.

Mark, David Weir and Frank McParland will have their targets drawn up and they will know who they want to bring in, and who they want to let go. They will only do deals if they are right for Rangers, though.

Toumani Diagouraga went to Leeds United because he ended up being out of Rangers’ price range, and it was a no-brainer for him in terms of his wages.

You might fancy a player but when a team from the Championship comes in for him and offers them double or treble their money, there is a big chance you will miss out. Rangers will not go above a certain level.

Mark will only want players at the right price and he will work through a list until he gets the ones he feels are right. He will know he needs to bring in better quality for next season.

It won’t be a case of waiting until the end of the season and then starting to look.

There may even be players who are out of contract and deals could be done before the summer.

Rangers fans won’t be expecting a couple of £2million or £3million players to come in. Mark knows the market and has recruited well so far.

It is pointless bringing in players just for the sake of it. Rangers have got plenty of good squad players and youngsters who can come in to the squad.

We need players that will come in and hit the ground running.

We need first-team starters and that is the kind of player Mark will be looking for in the summer ahead of what is hopefully a Premiership campaign.

Glasgow Times:

Killie tie is chance for Gers to prove pedigree

EVERY competition you enter as a Rangers player, you go in to win it. The Scottish Cup this season is no different.

But, before anyone at Ibrox can start dreaming of lifting the silverware at Hampden, they have to take care of Kilmarnock at Ibrox tomorrow.

The attitude has to be right and I am sure it will be from Mark Warburton’s side. If Rangers can play at the same level that they have been in the last few weeks, then they will win the game.

They have scored a lot of goals to put a few league wins on the board and the team have been defending a lot better in the last few weeks as well.

It is an important game for Rangers and all eyes will be on them. It will be big crowd at Ibrox and, despite playing a Premiership side, Rangers will be favourites to book a place in the last eight. Whether they can then go on and go all the way this season, who knows?

It depends on the draw and there are a lot of good sides still in the competition this season. It comes down to how you play on the day.

If you look at the teams that have won the Scottish Cup and the League Cup in the last few years, there have been a lot of different winners and some of the less fancied clubs have tasted success at Hampden.

Celtic will obviously be favourites to win it this year but you never know what can happen on any given day.

From Rangers’ point of view, they can only look to Kilmarnock and make sure that they get themselves into the draw for the next round.

The number one target is to win the Championship title but a good Scottish Cup run would be great for the players and the manager, and, of course, the supporters.

Glasgow Times:

Former Rangers trio deserve good reception

LEE McCULLOCH will return to Ibrox this weekend and look to cause an upset by leading his Kilmarnock side into the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

Stevie Smith and Kris Boyd could well line up against Rangers as well and it will be interesting to see how they are welcomed by the Gers fans.

It didn’t end well for any of them last season and we have been over that before.

But Lee, Stevie and Kris did well for Rangers at different times in their careers.

I am not one for the fans booing former players when they come back to Ibrox.

I think if you have done a turn for a club, as they did at one stage or another, then you deserve to be remembered for that. Hopefully they get a decent reception.