IT isn’t quite the side that drinks together wins together. For Andy Halliday, it does smell like team spirit, though.

As changes go, cancelling a day off during the week isn’t revolutionary, but it is already having the desired effect at Auchenhowie. It is a key part of Pedro Caixinha’s blueprint.

The Rangers boss has put his squad through their paces during the international break as he bids to build on a comfortable home win over Hamilton when Motherwell make the trip to Ibrox on Saturday.

Read more: Andy Halliday: Rangers will have extra Old Firm incentive to kill off Celtic's Treble dream

Midfielder Halliday has returned to action in recent days as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the fixtures against Celtic and Accies.

And he is confident the Light Blues will reap the rewards of the new regime ahead of a crucial run of Premiership and Scottish Cup fixtures.

“Yeah, we are in an extra day,” Halliday said when asked if training had changed since Caixinha’s arrival at Auchenhowie.

“The day off on the Wednesday has been scrapped. But I do really think the boys have enjoyed it. It is hard work, but it is certainly enjoyable.

“He has brought in something that we are not all used to, so I think you have every right to feel as if there has got to be a time to adapt to the new training regime, but we have done it really well.

“He has been delighted with the way the boys have trained and the intensity of the training session.

“But I think the most important thing is if you slack off and you are not putting in the effort he wants he will certainly tell you about it.

“The Tuesday is really physical. When he brings us in on a Wednesday it is really just a recovery day.

Read more: Andy Halliday: Rangers will have extra Old Firm incentive to kill off Celtic's Treble dream

“He just wants us to be in and see each other’s faces and gel as a group of players and get to know the staff a bit better.

“We are all trying to get that one goal and get good results on the park.

“It has sort of got away from us. It has been well documented we have had quite a lot of poor results this season.

“The new manager has tried to change the mentality. He wants to get that winning mentality back.

“Most importantly, he wants to gel that team together. That extra day has certainly helped that because we see each other every day now.”

Caixinha has wasted little time in making his presence felt at Ibrox as he looks to lead Rangers to second spot in the top flight and Hampden glory this term.

It would be a memorable end to a campaign that has had more lows than highs for the Light Blues and give Caixinha a solid platform upon which to build for next season.

Halliday has come under fire from sections of the Ibrox crowd in recent months but he is determined to get back on track sooner rather than later.

He said: “It’s all part and parcel of being at a club like Rangers. In my opinion you need to be a certain character and have a certain mentality to play at a club like this.

Read more: Andy Halliday: Rangers will have extra Old Firm incentive to kill off Celtic's Treble dream

“We are a nation that’s obsessed with sport. You saw it with the Scotland game at the weekend, we are all passionate about our football.

“The players are no different to the fans. You need to take the good with the bad.

“From a personal level it was a fantastic first 18 months at the club. It’s not been so great lately but you need to deal with that.

“You can’t get too high when it’s going well or too low when it’s not. It’s up to me to put that right.

“I am forever grateful to play for this club and hopefully the good times come back again.”

With just a handful of games to go before Rangers bring the curtain down on their first season back in the top flight, time is of the essence on and off the park at Ibrox.

Caixinha will be given a budget to bolster his ranks for a potential return to Europa League action and his first full season in the Premiership.

Halliday is under contract until the summer of 2020 but the 25-year-old knows he has a point to prove to his Portuguese boss.

He said: “I want to make an impression all the time. I wanted to do it week in, week out when Mark Warburton was manager. When you are playing, you are playing to try and stay in the team.

“Right now, I’m playing to try and get back into the team. I’m sure the whole squad knows that the new gaffer is, quite rightly, going to bring his own players to the club in the summer. So it’s up to us to put in performances to try and stay in this squad.

“For me, the only way is down after you leave Rangers, so we all want to stay here, that’s for sure.”