KEVIN THOMSON never shirked a challenge in the heat of battle as he led by example to become a firm favourite with the Ibrox crowd.

Now he hopes Ryan Jack and Graham Dorrans can stand up and be counted and inspire Rangers in the middle of the park this term.

The pair have started together in the draw with Marseille and win over Watford in recent days as a partnership that Pedro Caixinha needs to flourish has got off on a positive footing.

An extensive summer overhaul at Ibrox has ensured that Caixinha is not short of options as he looks to find his most effective side this term.

And former Light Blues hero Thomson knows the midfield combat is one that Rangers must win if they are to have a successful season this time out.

He told SportTimes: “That area of the team is key and you only need to look across the town at Celtic to see that.

“When you are a Rangers player, your direct opposition is what is across the road and you have to look at that.

“Scotty (Brown) had a terrific season last year but he has done it for so many years. [Tom] Rogic has come to the fore in the last couple of seasons and [Stuart] Armstrong hit the headlines last season after having a quiet for year under Ronny Deila.

“That is the challenge that is up against the Rangers players and they have to find a way of being competitive and being better than what Celtic have. I think Graham and Ryan will relish that challenge.

“At the back, they have got [Bruno] Alves and it will come down to who partners him because he will play. It will be a fight between Danny Wilson and Fabio Cardoso to be his partner.

“But there is a base, a spine of a team there now with two good centre-halves and two good central midfield players.

“I think they could do with another striker. They have good players in Kenny Miller and Niko Kranjcar, but they still need a centre-forward that is going to score 20, 25 goals a season to put the finishing touch on that base to create a good team.”

Jack and Dorrans are two pieces of the Ibrox jigsaw that Caixinha is looking to assemble this summer as he prepares for the new Premiership campaign.

The duo were handed starts for the closed doors win over Watford this week and are likely to be in the side that starts against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

It is another chance to stake their claim for a place on the opening weekend of the league campaign when the Gers face Motherwell.

And Thomson reckons they could form a productive pairing for Caixinha as they look to quickly get up to speed this season.

He said: “I haven’t been involved on social media for that long but I have had a lot of people recently telling me that Ryan Jack is a bit similar to myself and a player that Rangers have been missing.

“They thought the team needed a player like myself, although I think I had a bit more bite than Ryan has got and was a bit more aggressive.

“But he is certainly a player that does the dirty work and does a job for the team. He will win the ball, retain the ball and he will be a player that the manager and his team-mates will appreciate, although he might at times go a bit unappreciated by the punters.

“Graham is a player that I have always liked and I think he will prove to be a really good signing for Rangers, as will Ryan.

“Against Marseille, Graham was trying to force it at times and was maybe a bit too eager to impress but it is pre-season and he will only go from strength to strength.”

The Owls clash this weekend is Caixinha’s final chance to fine tune his side before Rangers head to Fir Park to kick-off the new campaign.

The Portuguese has opted for a 4-4-2 formation in the last two outings as he attempts to rebuild following the Europa League exit at the hands of Progres Niederkorn.

The Light Blues have to make a speedy start to the domestic season and Thomson is pleased to see Caixinha being flexible with his tactical approach.

He said: “When I met the manager he had an idea of how he wanted to play and he has changed his ideas a wee bit.

“His philosophy and his style will be the same but the formation looks like it is changing a wee bit and he has got to a 4-4-2 in the last couple of games now.

“He tried to play with three strikers and had Miller, Waghorn and Garner on the pitch at the same time and had Kenny and Waghorn playing a bit wider.

“He has gone for a diamond in the middle of the pitch and he has tried different things out, which is good.

“When things aren’t working, you have to find a style and a formation that you can adapt to and that still suits the players.

“If you come in and you have your formation and that is the only way to play, when it doesn’t work then you can have a problem.

“He is trying to find the best system for the players that he has got at his disposal and it was a 4-4-2 with Niko coming off the left when I watched them against Marseille.

“The team had a real solid base and a more solid look about it and while I never saw the game against Watford, they appear to have done the same and carried that on.

“It can only be positive for the team and every player will be trying to find his way into the team so that they have a starting position.”