IT has been a disappointing few weeks for Rangers as Mark Warburton’s side have dropped seven points in the Championship and now we head into the eagerly anticipated double-header with Falkirk and Hibernian just three clear at the top of the table.

Performances in the last few matches have not been as good as they were early on, and the manager will be looking for his side to get their swagger and style back as quickly as possible. Hopefully the team can recapture their top form sooner rather than later.

Rangers started the season magnificently. We were great to watch, we scored lots of goals and won a lot of games but we have gone off the boil a wee bit.

In those first few weeks, we had eight or nine players on top form in every game. Now, we don’t have the same number and the team is struggling a bit.

Only a couple of players have been at the top of their game and while the rest of the side isn’t playing badly, they haven’t been at the same level they were at the start of the season.

When we used to go through spells like this, Jock Wallace was great at reading the signs. It was fine working hard in training, but things weren’t going like they should in games.

He would take us away from the training ground or Ibrox and that change of routine helped. We would go away for a couple of nights and work just as hard but have a bit of team bonding as well.

Whether it was to St Andrews or to Largs, we got away from Glasgow and broke the routine.

We still put in the hours, but it was good to get away from it all and spend time together. There is no harm in trying something different.

If you are continually doing the same things every day, you hope you get the same results on a Saturday. But when you don’t you need to look at every aspect to find the spark again.

Teams know how Rangers play so we need to combat that. When you get out of your routine, it can change your mind-set.

Rangers have got big games coming up over this period and we need to get back to the form we had at the start of the season.

Mark will already have his targets in mind for January to freshen up the team and the squad and there will be players coming in next month.

They will need to be better than what we have at the moment because we need to improve the team, not the squad.

Mark is a manager that doesn’t like to change his approach. The only time he did it was at Hibs last month when we went to three at the back and nobody expected that. I am sure he will change again if it is necessary.

In the first couple of months, we were creating loads of chances and hitting the target a lot. That is not happening as much now and Mark has to find a solution to that.

We know he is not a fan of a Plan B, but if the performances still aren’t there, I am sure he will think of something to tweak and change to give teams something to think about.

Teams can train all week knowing how Rangers are going to play, so we might need to try something different.

We have to get back to where we were going into this crucial stage of the season. The players are having words after games and they know themselves that after hitting the highs earlier in the season they are not playing as well right now.

They will still have belief in their ability and their goal is still in sight – to play in the Premiership.

Mark and Davie Weir will be well aware that teams are reading how they are playing so they will be thinking of ways to improve the side.

The team is roughly the same every week right now, but some players are off form. Maybe they could look to change the side and see if we get a response.

The next two games are big ones for Rangers, but they won’t make or break their season.

If the team can get back on top form, they should remain top of the Championship.

Glasgow Times:

Houston’s Falkirk can give top two a problem

ALL the talk in the Championship is about the title race between Rangers and Hibernian so far this season.

Not a lot has been said about Falkirk but they are having a really good campaign and are well on course to finish in the play-offs.

Peter Houston’s side have sneaked up on the outside and people haven’t taken much notice of them. They can have a huge bearing on the title race, though.

The Hibs game means nothing if we don’t get a result against Falkirk so the players can’t be thinking of the game at Ibrox on December 28.

Falkirk are a good side and they could scupper both Rangers and Hibs’ plans this season. On their day, they are capable of beating both teams.

Make no mistake, Rangers will need to play the way they were at the start of the season if they are to get anything out of the game.

When you play the likes of Falkirk, it is their cup final. If you don’t put the same energy in as them, you will struggle. So Rangers have to be at their game.

Falkirk will be disappointed not to have taken all three points at Easter Road last weekend so they will be right up for it. We have got better players, but we need to match them for effort to make it count.

Glasgow Times:

12-team Premiership is limit for Scotland

THE topic of league construction has come back on the agenda recently and I can understand why the likes of Falkirk and Morton are keen for a move to a 16- team Premiership.

If we went to 16, how would it work? Do we just play 30 games? Do we have a split?

No matter what format we have had or what we have, there will always be meaningless games.

I think 12 is probably the limit we can have. We are not a big country and I don’t think we have that many teams that are better than that.

With the League Cup changes, people are thinking about how to change the leagues now. If enough managers or chairmen fancy it, it might happen.

But few clubs will give up the potential of four games against the Old Firm. No matter what happens, the television companies will want four Old Firm games a season. That is why they are in Scottish football.

Everyone looks after their own club, I don’t think anyone votes for the good of Scottish football.

That is a problem, but it is completely understandable so I can’t see it going to a 16-team top flight.

I saw the comments from Roy MacGregor at Ross County when he said that he wants Rangers and Hibs back in the top flight, but they have got to get there under their own steam.

It is not a case of expanding the league to get them back in.

The clubs voted for Rangers to go to the Third Division, their supporters put a lot of pressure on them and they were quite entitled to do so.

I can understand why club chairmen can’t wait for us to get back because that will improve the finances. But we have got to earn the right.

It is not a case of ‘make it a 16 team league to get Rangers and Hibs back’. That won’t make Scottish football stronger.

You have to earn your place in the league and earn your place in what I reckon will remain the top 12.

Your question for Derek Johnstone

AHEAD of Rangers’ trip to Falkirk, Frank Stevens from Motherwell asked DJ what his favourite memory of playing at Brockville was?

We played Falkirk on New Year’s Day, then we had Celtic on January 3. A big pal of mine, Gus McCallum, who lived across from Ibrox, made his debut at Brockville. It was a great day for us playing together.

Falkirk’s forward that day was Alex Ferguson and Gus was warned that Fergie ran with his elbows out and he catches players in the chest or head.

He thought he could handle him but, after 10 minutes, the ball went over the top and Fergie swung his arm out and caught Gus on the nose. The blood just poured out.

The two of us laughed about it. We knew it could happen and it did.

If you have a question for Derek, just email him at dj@eveningtimes.co.uk and we’ll print the answer alongside the question.