IT is said that you don't know what you have got until it is gone. That was never case with Connor Goldson as far as Michael Beale was concerned.
Nobody needed to tell Beale just how important Goldson was to Rangers and how big a loss he would be as he hobbled off against Liverpool back in October.
And that is why there is nobody at Ibrox, apart from the man himself, that will be more delighted to see the defender back on the park weeks ahead of schedule.
Goldson will return to the matchday squad for the trip to face Aberdeen this evening. There is every chance he will return to the team as well as Beale considers pitching him and Ben Davies back into action at Pittodrie.
There have been times during Goldson's career that his ability and his mentality have been questioned. So often it seemed that his critics shouted louder than those who appreciated just what the stopper brought to Rangers on and off the park.
Recent months have shown who was in the right in that regard. Goldson's presence alone was never going to salvage a wretched Champions League campaign but he is back not a moment too soon as Beale seeks to transform the Premiership title race this term.
“I think most people now realise how good he is," Beale said. "Not everyone, I can’t generalise, but I felt there was an attention on his performances which I wasn’t sure was correct.
“I think he’s been a fantastic signing for the club, considering the amount of games he has played for what he originally cost.
“He came in as a bit of an unknown from Brighton because he wasn’t playing regularly and he arrived on the back of a heart problem.
“You probably couldn’t foresee him playing all those games and doing what he’s done.
“We have more than one captain in this team. James (Tavernier) wears the armband but Connor is a real leader behind the scenes.”
The news that Goldson was poised to pull on his boots once again came as a welcome surprise to supporters in the aftermath of the friendly win over Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month. It was a bolt from the blue and an undoubted boost.
The loss of Goldson was just one of the bitter blows that undermined Giovanni van Bronckhorst during the final months of his tenure and the Dutchman would lament the situation that left him without almost a full team of stalwarts and signings.
Beale has had his own issues to contend with since succeeding Van Bronckhorst and several walking wounded remain unavailable ahead of the Aberdeen clash. Goldson, though, is ready and raring to go.
Beale said: “He did like a session-and-a-half and when he heard Leon (King) had taken ill before the Hibs game he called me and said: ‘I’m playing tonight.’
“Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved him to play but we have to be realistic with the schedule we’ve got coming up.
“I’ve inherited the injury problems at the club. No coach wants players injured so I just have to manage us through it.
“There’s a sickness bug in the air too, obviously Leon fell foul of that last week. But I have full faith in whatever XI I picked to get a result.
"I thought after the Bayer Leverkusen game we could get away with it against Hibs.
“We did, it was just a lot closer than I would have liked. It won’t be so makeshift [against Aberdeen] which I am pleased about.”
Goldson was initially forecasted to be sidelined for several months as Van Bronckhorst came to terms with his thigh injury in the aftermath of the 7-1 defeat to Liverpool.
It was a night that saw Rangers unravel at the back as a lack of quality and character saw them condemned to a humiliating defeat. Six goals were shipped after Goldson was forced off and his absence has been noticeable as points have been squandered in the Premiership title race.
"I think, as a manager, you would never want to say that you have bad luck because you come in every day and you work and you wouldn’t want to hide behind luck," Beale said. "But, from time to time, managers will lose key players in big moments in the season.
"In the year that we won the league when I was here we managed to keep, pretty much, a consistency in terms of selection through the whole season and keep people fit and healthy. There is a skill and an art to that but also a bit where you have to be fortunate because of contact injuries.
"Losing Connor, not only since then but in that game, was massive. Until that moment in that game, Rangers were showing up quite well, weren’t they?
"Scotty Arfield scored a great goal and obviously it fell apart in the second half against one of the four or five best teams in the world.
"Since then, we have not looked as strong at set plays and things like that. He has a big impact."
The return of Goldson several weeks ahead of schedule has come as a welcome development for Beale but it will be about the collective rather than the individuals when the 42-year-old takes charge of his second match this evening. Victory at Pittodrie is non-negotiable for Rangers.
Beale watched Jim Goodwin set out to stifle Celtic on Saturday but come up short as an ultra-defensive display, one which has attracted significant criticism, didn't pay dividends. Given the history and animosity that exists, this fixture will be a very different affair.
“It’s not one you are aware of until you come into the league," Beale said of the rivalry between the clubs ahead of his return to Pittodrie. "Our very first game in 2018 was against Aberdeen. We had Alfredo sent off, we went to ten men and played ever so well.
“They equalised in the last minute and both managers had interesting post match interviews. Straight away I knew it was on.
“I have a lot of respect for Derek McInnes, we played against his teams 15 or 16 times if you include the cup matches.
“Now it’s Jim and I probably owe him one for one cup game when he was at St Mirren. That hurt us badly so whenever I see Jim that memory is always on my mind.”
