IF Plan B is to do Plan A better, then it might be time to consider moving on to Plan C.

Four games into a campaign is no time to rip it all up and start again, but Mark Warburton must find the answers to the problems that are plaguing Rangers.

When the top flight fixture list was first revealed, everyone at Ibrox, from those in the stands to the dressing room, would have targeted, and probably expected, four wins from the first four games.

With trips to Parkhead, Pittodrie and Tynecastle in the first quarter of the campaign, Rangers had to make the most of, what was on paper at least, a favourite run in the opening weeks.

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Warburton’s side could quite easily have taken maximum points from their outings against Hamilton, Dundee, Motherwell and Kilmarnock but a couple more could have been dropped as well. Two wins and two draws was not the start they had in mind.

Instead of heading into the first Old Firm clash of the season with their noses in front, Rangers already find themselves trailing Celtic. Defeat on derby day would put Brendan Rodgers’ side in the driving seat even at this early stage of the title race.

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It leaves Warburton with plenty to ponder and the Ibrox boss will have to find the solutions sooner rather than later before further damage is inflicted on Rangers’ silverware bid. It is certainly by no means a lost cause, but the Light Blues can’t afford many more slip-ups in the coming weeks.

Rangers could have taken all three points from their trip to Rugby Park on Friday night but, like the 2-1 wins over Dundee and Motherwell, that outcome would have masked their deficiencies.

For the fourth league game in succession, Rangers were unable to keep a clean sheet and could only perform for 45 minutes. Even when they did improve after the break, it wasn’t a significant enough leap to earn them victory.Glasgow Times: 26/08/16 LADBROKES SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP 
  KILMARNOCK v RANGERS 
  RUGBY PARK - KILMARNOCK 
  Rangers' Harry Forrester (left) and Dean Hawkshaw

The Gers have impressed in spells this season but have yet to put together a complete showing at an acceptable level. They could get away with it in the Championship when their persistence more often than not paid off but that wasn’t the case against Killie and won’t be in the Premiership.

Like in the opening day draw with Hamilton and against Motherwell, Warburton’s side were better in the second half and after falling a goal behind. But they cannot afford to give their opponents a head start every week, and the Ibrox boss must figure out why it takes his team so long to get up to speed.

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There is no doubt that many of his players are still finding their feet at the club and finding their place in the side. It is a challenge to integrate several new faces into a squad and starting line-up in the space of a few weeks but time is not on Rangers’ side.

Warburton has undoubtedly increased the quality of his Ibrox ranks this summer but the team this term has a different look to it, and not just because of the men in the shirts.

Rangers’ success last season was built on quick, incisive passing and movement in the final third. Some of their build-up was often over complicated, but they were patient as they pressed and probed, went forward and then back again in the search for an opening.Glasgow Times: Clint Hill, here challenging Kris Boyd, knows Rangers have to start better against Celtic then they did at Rugby Park

There was energy in the middle of the park, with Jason Holt regularly bursting forward beyond the central striker or picking passes through defences from the edge of the area.

It was a blueprint that Warburton seemed determined to stick to, but it is a plan of attack that has rarely been seen so far. Too often Rangers’ passing hasn’t been sharp enough and their play has been laborious rather than exciting and attractive.

The arrival of Joe Garner and the return to fitness of Martyn Waghorn should give the Gers attack added impetus, while there is surely more to come down the left flank as Barrie McKay and Lee Wallace look to hit the heights they did together for much of last season.

At the back, Rangers’ problems are well known yet they remain unresolved and the recruitment of a fourth central defender will determine how realistic their title dreams are.

Supporters have known for several months that this area of the team needed strengthening, and Warburton now just has days to complete the foundations he hopes a shot at glory will be built on.

It is in midfield where the Englishman faces the biggest dilemma, though. Unlike last term, he is not short of quality options but he has yet to find the right combination.

While Jordan Rossiter has shown early signs of his undoubted potential, Joey Barton has yet to hit the heights that many were expecting of him. It is almost certain that Warburton will stick by the 33-year-old, though, and allow him time to reach the standard that he set for himself in the summer with his confident proclamations of being the best player in the country this term.

The other midfield berth has been occupied by Niko Kranjcar, the most technically gifted player in the team, Harry Forrester or Andy Halliday.

A switch from his favoured 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 could pay dividends for Warburton, while the returns of Holt and Josh Windass will add dynamism to the squad. Both have an energy and drive that has been lacking so far, but someone will have to drop out to accommodate them.

Warburton may have a fortnight to ponder before the Old Firm game but it is doubtful that significant changes will be made on Rangers’ next outing. Parkhead is not the place where he is likely to be inclined to experiment.

The improvement will have to come from within the same system, and from within the same players. It is up to the manager to find it, and soon.