IT is often said that you can learn more in defeat than you do in victory.

John Brown reckons that would have been the case for Mark Warburton as he began his autopsy into the loss to Hearts last month.

The trip to Tynecastle could prove to be the turning point of the campaign for Rangers. It was a night to forget but it has been followed by a hat-trick of crucial Premiership wins.

The Light Blues were brushed aside in the Capital as Robbie Neilson bowed out as boss with a 2-0 win and the pressure was piled on Warburton’s shoulders.

Read more: Mark Warburton: Rangers should have hit the goal trail against Hamilton

Since then, the Gers have played three and won three as Aberdeen, Hearts and Hamilton Accies have been beaten and they have moved clear in the race to be best of the rest.

The challenge of managing Rangers in the Premiership is very different to the test that Warburton passed in the Championship last term.

But former Ibrox star Brown believes some things never change as the Gers strive for further improvement in the top flight.

“I think the Hearts game at Tynecastle sums it up,” he said. “At the end of that game, the management, the directors, the fans, it was three points that they won but you would have thought they had won the league.

Read more: Mark Warburton: Rangers should have hit the goal trail against Hamilton

“That, if anything, is the one thing that Mark will have taken out of it. Everyone loves beating Rangers and the Rangers players and manager can see that now and know what they need to bring to the table.

“The fans are loving it right now. The crowds at Ibrox have been great, the travelling support is second to none.

“The Rangers fans are the best in the country and if the team show that spirit then they will get the backing of the support.

“Every team still wants to beat Rangers, they still look at Rangers as the top team, the most successful club in the country and that won’t change.”

The performance in Gorgie was one of the poorest of the Warburton era but the jeers have turned to cheers in the last couple of weeks.

Capacity crowds saw Rangers overcome their nearest rivals in the standings before Friday’s victory over Accies gave the Light Blues a third straight league win for the first time this term.

Warburton has not abandoned his football philosophy but it has been tweaked to give the side a more direct approach when it is required.

Bomber said: “What they have added is a real team spirit to get right in about it when they have not got the ball.

“You have to press teams, not give them easy possession and go and close them down.

“There is an energy about the team and it seems to be coming together now so we can go into the next three games with a lot of confidence.

“I always look at teams that work as hard off the ball as they do on it and how they work to get the ball back.

“I was brought up with coaches like Archie Knox, Walter Smith, Graeme Souness and Jocky Scott, guys that wanted you to get the ball back as quickly as you can.

“Successful teams are the ones that can go and press and do that side of the game before they look to play their football.”

Rangers may be on the right track but they have not turned the corner just yet. Improvement has been made, yet further advancements are required.

There are positives to take from their last three outings, but the next hat-trick will determine if Warburton’s side are well on the road to second spot this term.

The meetings with Inverness and St Johnstone are important, while the Hogmanay showdown with Celtic will be a barometer of the progress that has been made at Ibrox.

And nine-in-a-row hero Brown insists confidence should be high after a frustrating start to the campaign at Ibrox.

“It takes time for players to settle in and the manager made a number of signings in the summer,” he said.

Read more: Mark Warburton: Rangers should have hit the goal trail against Hamilton

“Some have worked out, some didn’t work out. When I look at my time under Graeme Souness and Walter Smith, they looked at new players taking six months to bed in at Rangers.

“We are getting to that stage now and you can see the team are improving all the time as the players get to know each other and get to know the style of play.

“It has taken them time to adjust but we are getting there. The confidence the last three games will give them heading into Christmas and the Hogmanay game is so important.

“Rangers fans always want to win the title but they understand where the team is right now.

“Rangers are finding their feet now that they are back in the Premiership. It is the first time we have been here for five years and it was always going to be hard to compete straight away.

“Getting second spot this season would be good and hopefully we can chip away at Celtic’s lead. We have got to make sure that we get second to get back into Europe.”