RANGERS had always planned to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window despite the high-profile captures of Joey Barton, Niko Kranjcar and Jordan Rossiter in the summer.

The Ibrox chairman and major shareholder Dave King confirmed as much when he spoke to the media shortly after the 2016/17 campaign had got underway back in August.

“From a financial planning point of view we have already catered for the fact that we will have to look at the position again in December and probably do some business in January as well,” said King.

But the situation that Rangers now find themselves in just past the halfway stage in the Ladbrokes Premiership make it vital that new faces are brought in to the club in the coming weeks.

It is generally accepted by Light Blues supporters, or at least it should be, that vying with Celtic for the Scottish title is a task that is, at this present moment in time, beyond them.

The third Old Firm defeat of the season at Ibrox on Saturday once again underlined the massive gulf in quality that exists between the city rivals.

Finishing second above Aberdeen and Hearts and qualifying for the Europa League is the most that can reasonably be expected of Rangers this term.

But to be absolutely sure of pipping the Pittodrie and Tynecastle clubs to the runners-up spot in the top flight will require further investment this month.

The 2-1 loss to Brendan Rodgers’s team left Mark Warburton’s side left just two points above Derek McInnes’s men.

However, the north-east club, the best of the rest in the Premiership in the last two seasons, have a game in hand and can leapfrog them once again if they win it.

Making some new signings would give the team and the supporters a much-needed lift entering the second half of the season and increase their likelihood of achieving their stated ambition.

King and his fellow board members should certainly continue to resist the calls to spend the sort of sums that will enable them to compete with their age-old adversaries in the East End.

They are already living beyond their means as things stand with their annual losses being offset by interest-free loans from wealthy benefactors which will be converted into equity at a later date.

It was spending irresponsibly which ultimately plunged the Glasgow institution into administration and liquidation back in 2012.

They are still recovering from subsequent corporate vandalism and financial mismanagement and have to make prudence a top priority.

But the Rangers board must also make good on their promise to make funds available to their manager this month.

Failure to do so would put them at risk of coming up short in their objective this season and losing the significant momentum they have gained since Warburton was appointed in 2015.

All the indications are that business will be done - Warburton has been linked with his one-time Brentford player Jota as well as Sam Nicholson of Hearts in recent weeks.

Spanish midfielder Jota has been recalled from an unhappy loan spell at La Liga club Eibar by the Griffin Park club so it is now doubtful he will be reunited with his former manager.

Nicholson, the Scotland Under-21 winger, intends to leave Gorgie when his current deal expires in the summer and could sign a pre-contract agreement with Rangers now.

But Warburton needs to bolster his squad in January if Rangers are to build on their Ladbrokes Championship win last season and come second in the Premiership.

The former City of London trader brought in no fewer than 11 new players in the close season as eight individuals who he had deemed surplus to requirements departed.

Of those who arrived, though, only Clint Hill, the experienced centre half, and Josh Windass, the young midfielder, started against Celtic at the weekend. The rest of the side were all survivors from last season.

The surprise capture of Joey Barton which had excited supporters so much turned sour after a training ground bust-up and he left the club by mutual consent in November.

Elsewhere, Matt Crooks and Rossiter have had injury problems and have hardly featured, Kranjcar is crocked and out for the season and Joe Garner, who was stretchered off at the weekend, looks set to spend a spell on the sidelines.

Lee Hodson, the Northern Ireland full-back, has looked decent defensively and could have made a difference if he had been involved from the start against Celtic.

Joe Dodoo, the former Leicester City player, has also shown occasional glimpses of why Warburton was so keen to lure him to Scotland.

But the Rangers manager actually has fewer players at his disposal than he did in the second tier last season and could do with increasing his options by bringing in more players.

It was, despite the greater resources at Warburton’s disposal than all but one of his side’s top flight rivals, always going to be difficult for the Govan club in the top flight this season.

But the change to a more direct style of play last month and the back-to-back wins over Aberdeen and Hearts at home strongly suggested they are adapting to life in the Premiership.

Warburton signed well in difficult circumstances after arriving in this country and it wouldn't be a huge gamble giving him the funds he needs to bring in new recruits.

There has been considerable goodwill towards the current Rangers hierarchy – not surprisingly when you consider some of the carpet baggers and chancers who occupied the boardroom before them.

But football fans will, irrespective of how much they love their club, grow to resent shelling out their hard-earned if they aren't seeing progress the park.