TWEAKING a football squad does not cost a lot of money.

Good news for Rangers then because they need to do the former and don’t have a lot of the latter.

But tweak they must in January because as any supporter who watches this Rangers team regularly will tell you, they are short and being short, even by just one or two players, could cost them automatic promotion this season. Why risk that?

Mark Warburton was admirably honest after Saturday’s match with Livingston saying his team lacked quality in the final third and while they dominated possession and territory, which they were always going to do, such stats meant little when two points have been dropped.

In a Glasgow hotel on Saturday night the Rangers players mixed with fans at the club’s charity ball.

Once not so long ago, the reception given to the management team and players would have been just on the wrong side of frosty, coming as it did after a draw at Livingston.

Not this time, however. The supporters are not panicking, and neither should they, and they can see that their relatively young and most certainly inexperienced team, at least when it comes to the position they find themselves in at the moment, are doing more than okay.

Rangers are top by goal difference and have a game in hand. However, right now, there is a coat of paint between them and Hibernian who have been on a superb run.

Personally, I would still go for Rangers to win the league. But, and there’s always a but, what happens in January is going to be crucial.

If Hibs can hang onto all their players – and their manager – and even add one more then it would be criminal if Rangers did not do something similar. I know the money situation is not great and loans are what are keeping things going, but if the club were to charge through the next transfer window doing nothing, then they are asking for trouble, which will surely come.

Take this game as a prime example. Rangers played well for parts. They took the lead in a first-half -the excellent Jason Holt with a fine goal -when their tempo was good. Barrie McKay had an impressive spell and was unlucky to see a shot hit the post, and then after half-time Livingston goalkeeper Marc McCallum made a couple of terrific saves.

So they weren’t rotten. It’s just that it wasn’t good enough and not good enough isn’t, well, good enough for Rangers.

A candid Warburton said: “We started well, got the goal and then pushed for a second which didn't quite come. But in truth, we lacked quality in the second half.

“We had lots of the ball, something like 70 per cent of the possession. But we lacked the guile in the final third. We huffed and puffed but never had the true class in the key areas. We have to better.

“We're not feeling extra pressure because of what Hibs are doing. That doesn't come into it. But we have to learn from this. There's no point saying we've had 70-per-cent possession. That's not good enough. We have to get a reward from it.

“Respectfully, teams are getting eight, nine and 10 men behind the ball. It is hard to break them down because they are compact, solid and organised.

“Look at our opponents. There are guys there 6ft 2in, 6ft 3ins. They have got physicality. It doesn't help us to go throwing random balls into the box. We made two or three poor decisions when it comes to putting the ball in and it just makes centre-halves look good.

“We have to be patient, keep moving the ball and show that quality in the final third.”

The physicality point is an interesting one. Livingston may have been bigger, but they played intelligent football, worked hard, got men behind the ball and closed down space. It wasn’t really their size that was a factor.

In saying that, if Rangers were to bring in some bigger players – this is the Scottish Championship after all – then it would be a help because it’s tough league. Too many crosses were easily defended by Livi because there was nobody in blue going in for a header.

When Rangers were winning all those games they were not world beaters and neither are they hopeless after a couple of bad performances.

But when Martyn Waghorn has an off day, as he did in West Lothian, and Nathan Oduwa can’t get going then it’s a team that are going to struggle against well organised opposition and the other sides in the league have now worked out how to play against them.

Dave King has to help his manager when the window opens. If two decent players can be found and brought in, then no matter what does or doesn’t happen in Leith, Rangers would take some stopping. If the squad stays as it is then there are going to be a lot more weekends like this one.

For a week or so, it seemed as if this league would be a walk in the park. But all of a sudden visits to Falkirk and Raith Rovers, and a home game with Hibs, games which are all coming up, look less than simple.

The back four sat back in the lead-up to the Livingston goal and for 15 minutes or so, they allowed the home side too much space around their penalty box. Another centre-half and someone up-front should be a priority.

Over to you, Dave.