The legendary Ibrox captain was impressed with the on-loan Spurs winger at Ibrox in midweek and has a plan
I was one of the 50,000 fans who walked away from Ibrox on Wednesday night with a new spring in my step.
Having sat through a difficult first 45 minutes by half time I could sense the punters were growing frustrated. Maybe even a bit concerned. One or two of them were starting to growl in the stands..
But an hour later? Without getting carried away, let’s just say Rangers looked and felt like a very different prospect.
A 5-1 win. Three points closer to Hearts at the top of the table with a significant bump in the goal difference. Three clear of Celtic, albeit their game at Pittodrie was postponed.
And with serious reason to believe that all the hard work and expense that went into the January transfer window might be about to pay off big time between now and May.
It really did feel like a significant turnaround in the space of 90 minutes or so and we’ll get around to the impact made by the new boys who came on from the bench and who played such a part in raising the excitement levels.
Andreas Skov Olsen, Tochi Chuwuani, Tuur Rommens and Ryan Naderi all made a big impression on the home crowd as well as having a major influence on the game itself.
But we’ll come to them later.
Because, first and foremost, it’s time to have a conversation about Mikey Moore. And I mean that quite literally.
If it was down to me I’d be on the blower to Spurs this morning asking to have that chat.
And while I fully understand there will probably be a lot of ‘ifs buts and maybes’ around the discussion, I’d be making a very strong case for the two clubs agreeing another 12 month loan deal to keep the young man in Glasgow next season.
Obviously, the guys at Tottenham will have their own thoughts on what the future should hold. It’s not even certain that Thomas Frank will still be in the manager’s seat next season so there’s a lot to factor in.
But, even so, there’s a very strong argument to be made that the best thing for Moore’s development would be signing on for one more year at Rangers.
Of course, they might want him back down the road as soon as possible. They may have their own plans for him because they clearly believe he’s destined for big things. And they’re right about that.
But if their idea involves Moore going back onto the fringes of their squad next season then there's also a danger that it will stall his growth.
So give him 12 more months and, by the time Spurs get him back, I’d almost guarantee he’ll be ready to walk straight into the first team. And stay there.
When I think back to the start of the season the difference I see in this kid now is quite incredible.
We all knew he had bags of ability and loads of natural talent. That’s why he was getting games in the Europa League under Ange Postecoglou when he’d only just turned 17.
But I’ll be honest. When he first came up the road he looked like a school kid playing in a man’s game. His introduction to Scottish football seemed like it might be too much, too soon.
So to see him turn in a performance like he did against Kilmarnock? That just shows how good this experience has been in terms of his mentality, physicality and personality.
I’ve seen this boy grow into a man over the last few months. And, over that time, I’ve been wondering if Rangers might have been thinking the same thing.
But after Wednesday night I’m now convinced they will be. Keeping Moore for one more season just makes so much sense. Yes, obviously it would be brilliant for my old club but it can be argued that it could be every bit as beneficial - or maybe even more so - for Spurs.
Forget about buying him permanently. That simply isn’t going to happen.
Premier League clubs are paying fees of around £40m or £50m for players who struggle to get a game these days, so I wouldn’t even attempt to put a price on Moore’s head at this moment. It would be a waste of time.
But I do see why he was so highly rated in the first place and I genuinely believe, if an agreement can be reached, Rangers will help fast track his development into the special Premier League player that so many people down south have always expected him to become.
What I really enjoy is his enthusiasm and attitude. He wants to make a difference. He wants to win football matches. He wants to win trophies in a Rangers shirt.
And I can't get enough of that.
When the team was struggling to break down a ten man Kilmarnock side, he was the one player who kept coming back for more and trying to make things happen. It was the same when he came off the bench at Easter Road on Sunday.
The fans have taken him to their hearts because of it and when he was joined on the pitch by the new signings on Wednesday night you could sense the atmosphere inside the whole stadium go up through the gears.
Skov Olsen looked re-energised and took his goal superbly. He struggled in his first couple of games but you have to remember he’s not played much football over the last few months.
He’ll take a lot of confidence from this cameo because he really stood out and he’ll have sensed the fans were delighted with him.
Chukwuani is another who is getting used to his surroundings but he’s starting to look strong in the middle of the pitch.
Rommens was another stand out at left back, bombing up and down the flank. It’s way too early to make assessments or comparisons but what I saw was a player who could make a real difference to the starting XI.
And then there’s big Naderi who looks like an absolute German unit.
So, yes, there was a lot for Rangers to feel better about after Moore had lashed home the fifth goal and the final whistle sounded on Wednesday night.
They’re certainly looking in stronger shape coming out of the window than they did going into it. And they’re going to have to be because, believe me, this title race is going all the way down to the wire, possibly even to the final day of the season.
It’s at times like these that the biggest players with the biggest hearts step forward, roll up their sleeves and become the difference makers.
Moore looks more than capable of doing that. But Rangers will need a team full of them over the next four months to get the club back to where it belongs.