JACK BACKS ‘WISE’ GERRARD:

HOWEVER harsh it may have appeared for Steven Gerrard to nitpick after yet another perfunctory victory, the Rangers boss had good reason for playing down his side’s impressive start to the campaign.

One year ago, after swatting aside Kilmarnock, Hibernian and St Mirren, the Englishman struggled to hear himself above the growing volume of title talk among the light-blue legions. A home reverse to Celtic in the next fixture was the equivalent of hitting the mute button.

With Celtic currently inactive through bizarre circumstances and Rangers yet to concede a goal in three league matches, a new wave of optimism has washed over Ibrox. Last year, it swept away their ambitions. This time, it’s the manager’s responsibility to ensure his players ride it.

As a witness to three campaigns that promised much but delivered nothing, no one has to tell Ryan Jack that lavish praise in August does not translate into trophies come May.

For the midfielder, Gerrard’s mild criticism of the way his side finished Wednesday’s 3-0 win over St Johnstone amounted to no more than wise counsel.

‘That’s just what happens when you’re at a big club,’ said Jack. ‘The gaffer has said that to us from day one of pre-season, he’s going to be on us every day.

‘There’s no room to take our foot off it. He is pushing us every day and wanting more every day.

‘Even on the back of the second half he was in the changing room, pushing us, wanting more, wanting better performances.

‘We’re only a good team when we’re at it and at it every day.

‘He’ll remind us of that again and, I’m sure if he does, we’ll take it into Sunday (at Livingston).

‘We’re pleased with the start we’ve made but there’s a long way to go.’

In their four previous campaigns in the top flight, Rangers were hardly a credible challenger to Celtic let alone a team with the wherewithal to usurp them.

Last season was the only one where points weren’t spilled in the opening two fixtures. There was a distinct improvement but, even then, a post-Christmas collapse did for them.

To prevail this time, there can be no tailspin the minute a little turbulence is encountered.

Asked to pinpoint that missing ingredient, Jack offered: ‘I think one of the key words is momentum.

‘You have to build that momentum and, when teams are giving you that challenge every week to stop you, it is up to us to embrace it and take it on rather than going into games worrying. So far, so good.

‘We always need to have that mentality that we want to kick on and improve. Otherwise we will come unstuck and someone will catch us out.

‘We have used a lot of words over pre-season and had a lot of meetings talking about momentum and being relentless in every game.’

No one sat within those four walls at the club’s training centre in those moments could possibly have envisaged how the early weeks of this season would pan out.

Celtic dropping two early points at Kilmarnock was scarcely unforeseen but the postponement of games against St Mirren and Aberdeen — on account of Boli Bolingoli’s breathtaking arrogance — has given the campaign an extraordinary dimension.

Although Neil Lennon’s men would have three games in hand, the fact Rangers could be 11 points clear by the time Kilmarnock have visited Ibrox next Saturday is intriguing. Surely it would give Gerrard’s men a huge psychological boost?

‘I don’t know, is my answer,’ Jack replied. ‘I think we just need to focus on ourselves.

‘We just need to focus on winning every game up until the international break. Whether it has a psychological advantage, I couldn’t tell you.’

On the limited evidence to date, this Rangers squad look leaner but meaner.

Five new faces were added in the summer (on top of the two loan deals which were made permanent) — half the number that departed. But the early consensus is that quality has replaced quantity.

Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten came off the bench on Wednesday, the newest faces in a pool already boosted by the arrivals of Jon McLaughlin, Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun.

Jack believes the overall quality of the squad is the best he’s witnessed since moving from Aberdeen in 2017.

‘It is definitely going that way. The manager has added a lot of good players and a lot of quality to what we had last season,’ he said.

‘We are going to need that and we are going to need everyone to be at it every day. Whenever you get a chance to get a shirt, you have to try and keep it.’

Unless Lille rekindle their interest in Alfredo Morelos, Roofe and Itten may have a job on their hands to get the game time that will satisfy them.

The Colombian didn’t score against the Perth men — Borna Barisic, Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo did the damage — but again did enough to suggest he will give his all for as long as he’s wearing a Rangers jersey.

If he does move on, Jack believes that Morelos’ would-be replacements will be up to the task... provided they are given time to warm up for it.

‘I think it is always going to take time for Cedric and Kemar to gel and find their feet,’ he added.

‘They have played abroad, so it will take time to come over here, get their stuff, get their family over here.

‘They have both come in, they are great guys with great attitudes and both have trained really well and integrated into the squad really well. It is a plus for us and I am sure they are going to come in and really help us.’

As any player will testify, joining a side in a winning groove makes the period of assimilation considerably easier.

With three wins, seven goals scored and none conceded, Gerrard’s men could have done little more to date. Blocking out the growing noise will now be the hard part.

‘We’ve been building good momentum,’ added Jack. ‘The pre-season games in France with the quality we were playing against helped us with the fitness side of it.

‘Coming back domestically, we’re going in with the mentality that we want to win and we’ve started off well.

‘The last two games here we have played St Mirren and St Johnstone and got six goals and not conceded.

‘I don’t think it has been too much of a problem so far but every team is going to set us a challenge. It is up to us to take it on and break it down — and so far, so good. We just want to keep that going.’