Rangers are preparing to launch their bid to bring the Scottish Cup back to Ibrox.
The Premiership title may be in the trophy cabinet, but domestic cup success has eluded Rangers in recent years.
Gio van Bronckhorst has the chance to put that right with Stirling Albion the first test in their push to reach Hampden in May.
But the Friday night visit from the League Two side wasn't the only thing on the agenda following the controversy-filled Aberdeen draw at Pittodrie on Tuesday.
Transfers were high on the agenda including the future of John Souttar, and the state of play of the squad for derby day next month with Alfredo Morelos called up by Colombia.
Here is every word from the Rangers boss ahead of the Boxing Day clash with the Binos.
What is the squad fitness latest?
“We don’t have any major concerns. Some stiffness, but physically we were okay after the game.
“Kemar Roofe will be involved tomorrow, as is Leon Balogun. For Ryan Jack, it is too early.
“Scott Arfield trained a little bit with the team today, so hopefully he will join us at the beginning of next week. Steve Davis, hopefully somewhere next week as well.
How big a blow is it to lose Alfredo Morelos due to his international call up?
“He has been in really good form, especially the last months for me since I came in. I think he had a great development in every aspect of the game, so I’m really happy for him and also for Rangers that he has good momentum.
“When he is playing well, he gets called up for Colombia. So he won’t be with us for the coming weeks as he tries to qualify for Qatar at the end of the year.
“Obviously you want to have your full squad for every game but at this moment, we miss Aribo and Morelos. That’s not what you want but it’s the way it is.
“If you have international games during the league, it always gives you a difficult situation. Not only for me or the club but also for players because they are stuck in between playing for their country and their club.
“I know what the club means for Joe and Alfredo but as an international player, I also know how important it is to be successful for your national team. It’s a battle you can’t win as a player.
Following Ryan Kent's red card, do you feel the rule be changed on appealing two yellow cards?
“It’s a rule that’s there. You cannot change the ruling but during the game everything was going really fast. It was hectic with good intensity.
“But if I look back, the second yellow is very harsh. Ryan tries to block the ball, I don’t think he caught the player at speed or really hard. It’s the way it is. The team reacted well after the red card to maintain the draw and don’t concede another goal.
“You cannot change the ruling - sometimes as a coach you wish you can but it’s the way it is and we have to respect it.
You won the Scottish Cup twice as a player, how big would it be to win it as a manager?
“It’s very important because it’s the shortest (number of) games to win a major prize. In that perspective, we do everything to try and win this cup.
“Every prize you play for, you have to go with the same intention and intensity you always have.
“You want to play finals. I had it as a player and I have the same feeling as a coach. So we have to make sure we are able to win another major prize for this club.
Will you chance the starting XI?
“It’s a chance for me to rotate my squad a little bit. It’s always nice when you are able to do that.
“It’s a chance to give players minutes who need them, ones who are coming back from injury or didn’t play so much in the last weeks or months."
Are you looking to add any more players in this window? And is there any news on John Souttar?
“I said before, John is a Rangers player from next season on. That didn’t change in the last week, so for this moment he won’t be joining us.
“But the window is still open for 11 days so anything can happen. For me, it’s also a little bit uncertain how the squad will look in 11 days. You have to be prepared."
Is it difficult to strike a balance while rotating the squad?
‘I don’t think it’s difficult at all. We approach Stirling Albion as normal, we watched games of theirs and did analysis today.
‘We trained tactically as well today to prepare the players for tomorrow. From our point of view there’s no difference.
‘Of course we respect our opponent. They are a couple of levels below us but our intention will always be the same. I told the players as well to make sure we are doing the things we have to do.
‘We see this game as another opportunity to get minutes under our belts, to develop our gameplan, to develop our movements within games.
‘For me it’s very simple because it’s another game we need to play and we want to win.
While missing creative players will you tweak system?
‘Of course you have a good balance in your team. That’s what you want. You want flexibility in players you can use in different positions.
‘You cannot have a squad full of creativity because there has to be a balance. But if you lose some players with creativity, there won’t be many left. That’s normal.
‘But I think we still have some opportunities in our squad with creativity. We have some youngsters coming through who can also fit that role.
‘We are going to use the players available tomorrow as we have used all the players in the past.
Will some young players get a chance against Stirling?
‘Hopefully. Alex Lowry is also in the squad. He’s a big talent coming through the academy.
‘I’m always happy to use the youth academy if possible and I think tomorrow is perfect. The only thing is that we only have three subs. I have a squad of 20 to pick but only three subs.
‘Maybe it would be good for the SFA to also change the subs for the cup. In the league, I know the situation we are in with Covid and many injuries. So we changed the set-up for league games.
‘I can sub five times in the league but I can’t sub five times in the cup. In the cup especially I can use more players and maybe give more youth players a chance. So maybe it’s good to look into the subs available for the cup games as well.
Do you change your coaching method when preparing to face a part-time side?
‘No, because as I said before we prepare the team as normal. We watched the games of Stirling, the way they play and the systems they play.
‘For me, it’s no difference. Maybe in the past you plant against teams you don’t know and there is no footage. But we are well prepared. So for me there are no uncertainties for tomorrow.
‘We will know their set-up, we will know their gameplan, how they defend and attack set-pieces.
‘Of course we have to respect them. They play lower league but everything can happen in the cup. We have to be there and make sure we’re in the next round. I’m full of confidence we’ll do that.
Should we have a review of disciplinary sanctions and even referee grading?
‘I think it’s a normal way. It’s the same for me as a coach and my players and I think it’s the same for refs.
‘VAR will help them a lot, as we’ve seen in other leagues, to take the right decisions, especially in vital moments of the game. That will help them.
‘For a referee, they also have to review their own games. To review the games and maybe see things that could have been done better or mistakes that were made.
‘We all make mistakes. But you have that process to become a better referee. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
‘That’s why I’m also reviewing how my team played, I review decisions I make. In the end, you have to learn from your mistakes and make sure you become a better coach, manager or player, but also a better referee. I don’t see anything negative about that, only positives.
