Michael Beale has explained the reasons behind Rangers' injury worries - and detailed his plotting of a solution for next season.
The Englishman revealed he'll be without six first-team players for the visit of St Mirren to Ibrox on Saturday due to niggling injury concerns.
Connor Goldson - earmarked for a return against Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final later this month - is joined by Ryan Kent, Scott Wright, Antonio Colak, Ryan Jack, and Ridvan Yilmaz on the sidelines.
For Beale, it's a problem caused by frantic fixture scheduling, chopping and changing of backroom teams, and an overall lack of stability.
The Ibrox boss is not overly concerned by the injury troubles given most are minor knocks picked up through contact rather than more sinister overuse or overtraining issues.
But that's not to say he isn't hopeful of a healthier squad selection heading into next season as he targets a more "robust" side capable of handling "14 or 15 weeks" of three-match weeks.
"I came in November and a big part of your season is preparation at the start," said Beale when asked if the ongoing injury situation is something the club will consider going forward.
"I came in and you’re picking up pieces as you go. We’ve been able to play a consistent 11 for about 18/21 games I’ve been here. The back four has been consistent. Ryan Jack’s played as much football as he's played in a long time, so I don't think there's a huge issue there.
"There are different types of injuries. There are overtraining or overuse injuries, and then there are contact injuries. I think we would always look closely at the ones that were from overtraining or overuse.
"Certainly, in any football club, when you start getting injuries, the other players have to play more and it leads to it. Our schedule, I think, up to prior to me coming in, I think there had been 13 or 14 weeks of three-game weeks at the start of the season and it will be the same next season, so you have to build a squad that can withhold 14 or 15 weeks of playing three games a week and you have to use your squad wisely and your pre-season is important.
"All I can think about is planning a squad and building a squad for next season that's a little bit more robust than what we've been this year. I don't know the where's and why’s of why we've had injuries, but since I've been back in, in the main, I've been quite pleased."
Added stability in training regimes will also lead to lesser injury concerns, Beale theorised as he cited his previous spell at Ibrox with few serious injury setbacks.
He added: "I think when you change manager three times in probably 14 months like Rangers has and then that also has different fitness staff, different ways of coaching and stuff like that, that's all an impact as well.
"We need some stability and through stability that’s the same way of training, same fitness coaches, same medical staff, I think all that dies down.
"It's not an issue that I ever incurred when I was here as a first-team coach under Steven, for example. It's one that I've come back into and I've managed and I think the staff have managed quite well to this point."
Quizzed on whether any of the six absentees could face long spells on the sidelines, Beale said: "We'll have to assess. I think one or two are just knicks and niggles that we don't want to take a risk on right now.
"Obviously, Connor, we know is going to be away with a possibility of playing next weekend but we've got an eye on the semi-final for him.
"Ryan Kent, right at the end of the game had an awkward landing and he's got quite a lot of bruising around it so has not been able to come back to training this week. We just need to assess where that is in the early part of next week.
"Ridvan will be back. Tony has a slight problem with his calf. Jacko, yesterday just opened his knee out a little bit but we don't think there's anything major there."
