THE chances are that Graeme Murty won’t be the next manager of Rangers. Once again, he is showing his successor how it should be done, though.

After rounding off his first stint as interim boss with a draw at Parkhead earlier this year, the win over Partick Thistle on Saturday could prove to be the end of his second spell.

If it is, Murty can step back from the touchline with his head held high and his reputation enhanced even further. He will do so owed another debt of gratitude.

Read more: Wes Foderingham: Rangers squad are fully behind interim boss Graeme Murty​

The blueprint that Murty used on his Old Firm debut back in March was never put to good use by Pedro Caixinha once he assumed the Ibrox hotseat.

But the win over the Jags at Ibrox has to become the norm for Rangers as they attempt to regroup and then rebuild under the guidance of the next man at the helm.

This wasn’t a complete performance from Rangers, but it was a professional one as the job was done and the game was won with relative ease.

It is the kind of outing that the Gers haven’t had enough of since they returned to the Premiership last season, but it is one that they must start enjoying more often if they are to become a force in the top flight once again.

Every opponent has to be respected and no game can be taken for granted but the formula is the same now as it has been for every successful Rangers side. Just win.

A Gers outfit that has ambitions of challenging at the sharp end can’t afford to drop points at home to the likes of Hamilton and Ross County, as Mark Warburton’s side did last term.

Read more: Ross McCrorie will take his Rangers rise in his stride, says keeper Wes Foderingham

And they can’t, as happened on Caixinha’s watch, only take one point from a double header with Hibernian and Hearts and be held at home by Kilmarnock.

The Thistle clash was the kind of afternoon that supporters had become accustomed to in years gone by as games were ticked off and wins were racked up week after week, month after month.

Routine victories haven’t been the norm for some time now. This was one, however, and now the Ibrox crowd will hope there are plenty more to follow.

The first goal broke Thistle’s resistance, the second secured the points and the third added a shine to the scoreline.

Rangers were impressive in spells but they didn’t need to be at their best to overcome a Jags side that proved to be masters of their own downfall.

Alan Archibald saw his side start brightly but they couldn’t trouble Wes Foderingham and Rangers steadily pulled away as the goals from Ross McCrorie, Daniel Candeias and Josh Windass ended Thistle’s hopes of a historic win at Ibrox.

Read more: How Rangers rated against Partick Thistle

Archibald will point to the defensive lapses in all three key moments but there were plenty of reasons to be pleased from Murty’s point of view.

The first saw Kenny Miller and Candeias work a short corner before McCrorie connected with the Portuguese’s cross and bulleted a header beyond Tomas Cerny for his maiden goal in Light Blue.

It was the winger that got the second as he converted into an empty net but the goal owed much to the endeavour of Jason Holt as he burst   into the Thistle area.

He was denied a well-deserved goal by Cerny, but Candeias ensured his efforts didn’t go to waste as he put Rangers out of sight six minutes before the break.

After it, Windass latched onto a slack defensive header from Jordan Turnbull and kept his composure to score his second goal in as many games. That was that for Rangers.

Three goals in 17 minutes of play ended this one as a contest and ensured that what was left of the second period was as straightforward as Murty could have hoped for.

Thistle had brief sights at goal, but there was never a glimmer of hope for Archibald and his players as they were left to rue a lacklustre performance just as they had started to build some momentum in the Premiership.

Read more: Wes Foderingham: Rangers squad are fully behind interim boss Graeme Murty​

That is what Rangers must do now whether it is Murty that is in the dugout on the other side of the international break or not.

The failure to win three games in succession will be forever etched on Caixinha’s list of Ibrox ignominies but the Gers have another chance to achieve that minor feat against Hamilton later this month.

With the double-header against Aberdeen now coming into sight, Rangers can’t afford to stumble back into the ways of the Caixinha era when they face Accies and Dundee.

If second place is to be secured this season, then winning sequences cannot stop at two and points cannot be squandered against sides that the Gers expect to be beating.

The performances don’t always have to be at a high level and the matches don’t always have to be entertaining. They must always be won, though.

That is what Murty has done in the last fortnight as his side have battled back to emerge victorious at Murrayfield and then eased over the line on home soil.

He may not get the chance to lead the way, but the next Rangers manager must follow his example.