RANGERS knew they needed four wins to clinch the Championship title before the trip to Falkirk last Friday night and, even though we lost the game, just three are required now before we can celebrate being crowned champions.

The one thing the players can’t do, though, is think that the job is done. We are close, but you can’t afford to drop your standards when you see the finishing line in sight.

Mark Warburton’s side were 2-0 up and cruising at the Falkirk Stadium but lost three goals late on as they suffered their third league loss this season.

It was a shock to the system and the fans were rightly upset at how the points were thrown away.

The good thing about this Rangers team is that after every game they have a discussion about what has gone well and what has gone wrong. We never used to do that.

If it was a Saturday game, we would wait until the Monday morning and then we would sit in the dressing room and discuss the game. But, when feelings are running high, that can be when you get players at their best and they can open up a lot more.

They will learn from it, of course they will. From a first half that was great and everything we like about this Rangers side, we produced a second half performance that was just so poor.

To be fair to Falkirk, you have to give them a bit of credit. They had nothing to lose, they came out and had a go and in the end it paid off for them.

But, from Rangers’ point of view, all we can surmise is that some of them thought the game was over. They had played so well, were creating chances, were two goals up and they thought it was job done.

Once you start getting that into your head, you are in trouble. Rangers took their eye off the ball, it is as simple as that.

Then, when Falkirk get a goal back they have got the momentum. To lose three late goals is a sore one to take and the players will realise that.

We know Rangers will win the league, but you can’t take that on to the park. If you do that, then you are vulnerable, as Friday night proved.

The one thing you can guarantee in the Championship is that teams will put in maximum effort against you and if you don’t match that then you are going to struggle. You have got to be at it for 90 minutes.

I saw a similar situation unfold when I watched Southampton against Liverpool on Sunday. Liverpool were terrific in the first half, were 2-0 up and it could have been four or five.

They were superb, their passing and movement was great and then all of a sudden Southampton come back into it and score three goals and win the game.

It happens. Rangers have to make sure it doesn’t happen again, though.

They have a big enough lead at the top of the table so the defeat won’t prove that costly. But the fans were there in their numbers again expecting the team to win the game and they should have. We can’t have games like that where the players switch off and end up losing a match they dominated.

The manager will have drummed that into them this week. It was a warning against Falkirk and I am sure we will see a reaction against Queen of the South on Saturday.

Mark can say as much as he likes, but it is what the players do on the mark that matters. They are the ones that switched off.

Mark hasn’t made too many mistakes this season and I don’t think he made two with his substitutions on Friday night. There has been a lot of discussion over why he chose to replace Barrie McKay and Kenny Miller and Mark has come in for a bit of criticism from fans.

He would have been looking at a side that wasn’t playing as well in the second half and knew it needed to be freshened up. He would have been hoping the changes would have given the team the impetus to get the third goal and win the game.

He has been positive with his changes and put forward thinking players on. It is easy after the game to say that he made a mistake with the substitutions.

Changes go for you and don’t go for you and Mark will do the same thing again if he thinks it is the right thing to do.

To be fair, it wasn’t the forward players that cost Rangers on the night, it was the defence that let them down.

The first goal, you can’t do a lot with it and it is a strike in a million. Blair Alston won’t score a goal like that again so you have to put your hand up there.

But the second and third goals were poor to lose. That wasn’t down to the substitutions.

The reaction has maybe been a bit over the top. Yes, we lost a game we should have won, but these things happen in football.

For 45 minutes or an hour, Rangers were fantastic to watch. So there has maybe been a bit of exaggeration in the aftermath.

We can get away with it because we are so far ahead but it can’t happen again and we have got to put in a more complete performance against Queens.

It wouldn’t surprise me if there were a couple of changes in the side. Hopefully we can get back to winning ways and take another step towards the title.