I noted something about Rangers' margin of victory and a team bonding game that's 'like The Traitors'

They hadn’t lost a league match since the start of September, which is the last time Rangers conceded a goal. Rugby Park manager Neil McCann was entitled to feel bullish about his side’s chances.

He knew of course that Rangers were flying high. But although they had won five successive league games since losing to Hibs at Ibrox, they had all been by a margin of one goal. And more often than not - well, four out of the five times - the win had been by the identical scoreline: 1-0. So it is understandable that my friend felt it was time for Rangers to put on a bit more of a show. Goal difference has to be a consideration. It could come into play today if Celtic draw at Motherwell. If so, the Parkhead side will return to the top of the Premiership because they have a better goal difference — by four.

So Rangers might feel they missed a chance to really go to town on Saturday after being 3-0 up at half time. It’s not as if the Ibrox fans have been completely starved of entertainment of late. Derek McInnes will rightly point to the recent 3-0 win over Celtic in the League Cup. But the league is the league. And the more goals you can score, the better.

It’s why there might have been some disappointment at the final whistle. Rangers got the all-important win to see them overhaul Celtic at the top, albeit perhaps briefly. But the goal difference, while a very positive plus six, still lags four behind Celtic at the current time of writing. When Rangers went three up on the stroke of half-time, it was only natural that most home fans imagined their team adding to this handsome total in the second half. In their five previous games against Killie, Rangers had scored 21 goals. Credit then to Kilmarnock for stemming the flow after the break and adding one of their own, right at the end, through sub Nicky Clesecenco. In the end my friend had to be satisfied with three goals and a winning margin of just two. Rangers’ goal difference would have stood at plus seven but for the slackness at the end – no wonder McInnes was seen kicking the air in frustration.

It might not matter much in the final analysis. Neil McCann would rightly argue that 3-1 was flattering for Rangers. Incredibly, it still stands as the Ibrox side’s biggest victory in the league this season. Small steps and all that.

Rangers’ team bonding

Neil McCann was fuming afterwards, understandably. He felt his Kilmarnock team had given Rangers a three-goal start. One of the goals, the second one scored by Kevin Kelsy, looked highly suspect after the Venezuelan seemed to nudge the ball with his hand after he slipped while trying to control a pass at the end of the box. “I don’t even understand what handball is any longer,” McCann complained afterwards. He will find nearly everyone in agreement with him on that.

Despite his obvious distress, it was good to see him embrace Rangers winger Findlay Curtis at the end. The winger came on in the second half and looked lively. He was obviously at Kilmarnock last season on loan and McCann’s management helped him catch the eye of Steve Clarke and propelled him into the Scotland World Cup squad. “I am so grateful to Kilmarnock,” Curtis said in an interview in the progamme. The 20-year-old also revealed another squad bonding activity amongst Rangers players. As well as coffee excursions, which is how some players celebrated the recent 3-0 victory over Celtic in the League Cup, there is a card game called Wolf which share similarities to The Traitors, the BBC One programme currently keeping most of Britain glued to their TV screens. “It’s a card game like The Traitors,” explained Curtis. “There were a lot of us playing and there were three kings.

“The kings kill people so you had to put your head down and guess who they were. It’s a good team bonding game and everyone was going to bed thinking that they can’t wait to play the game the next day!

“It was amazing but everyone knows when I’m the king because I stop talking,” he added. “I talk a lot so as soon as I stop they’re like ‘yes, it’s him’.” It’s not the card schools of old.