Rangers manager Walter Smith says he must ease club captain Barry Ferguson back into his side after he returned from injury as a substitute in the club's 5-0 rout of Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday. Ferguson made his first appearance of the season as a second-half sub with the home side already cruising to victory.
Rangers have a busy schedule coming up with four games in two weeks, including Dundee United at Ibrox on Tuesday, and the midfielder is desperate to play a part as he bids to regain full match fitness.
But Ibrox gaffer Smith says the form and size of his current squad means he doesn't need to rush his captain back into action.
"I think we need to ease him back into the team. He has been out for five months or so and we have to make sure everything is right with him," Smith said.
"The team have been doing well and it is not always easy to make changes. The size of the squad now allows us this time to ease him back. "Last season if we had had the same problem and the same number of players he would have obviously had the opportunity to rest. "He led from the front for us last season and it will take a few games for him to get back but I look forward to that time when we get him fit and he can play."
And Smith believes his side is now getting the right balance between possession and converting chances. "I think in some matches we have concentrated a wee bit too much on our possession of the ball and not of turning that into something tangible in terms of goals," Smith said.
"We are maybe getting there now in terms of trying to achieve a proper balance between a good level of possession and goals at the end of it." On Saturday rampant Rangers returned to the top of the Scottish Premier League on goal difference after a Kris Boyd hat-trick helped them to a 5-0 thrashing of Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Rangers took the lead after only six minutes. Boyd thundered in a free-kick from the edge of the box which Michael Fraser couldn't hold and Novo slid home the rebound from a couple of yards out. Rangers doubled their lead after 13 minutes. Pedro Mendes intercepted an Inverness clearance on the half-way line and his quick pass sent Miller clear.
The Scottish internationalist then squared the ball to strike partner Boyd who rolled the ball into an open net. Boyd made it 3-0 just five minutes later after another perfect pass from Mendes. The Portuguese midfielder took the ball off Grant Munro and slipped the ball to Boyd in the box who beat Fraser for the second time.
The Scottish striker completed his hat-trick in the 27th minute after Miller was brought down in the box by David Proctor. Boyd buried the spot-kick into the bottom left-hand corner of the net sending the keeper the wrong way. Miller made it five on the stroke of half-time after he expertly converted Novo's cross from the by-line.
The striker showed tremendous skill to turn 180 degrees and slam the ball past the helpless Fraser with a terrific first-time volley from the penalty spot. Boyd had the ball in the net again in the 71st minute when he headed home Kirk Broadfoot's cross but the goal was chopped off as the big striker was adjudged to have pushed an Inverness defender in the box.