Shankland Starts to Deliver: Can Rangers Build on Their Captain Leading From the Front?

Lawrence Shankland has been waiting for a moment like this at Rangers. After a difficult start to life at Ibrox, the Scotland captain is beginning to look like the player who terrorised defences for three seasons at Tynecastle.

Two goals against Falkirk, both with his weaker left foot, and a performance described by manager Derek McInnes as 'a proper captain's performance'. That phrase matters. It tells you exactly what Rangers need from him and, for the first time this season, it looks like he's ready to deliver it.

A Slow Burn That's Finally Catching Light

Shankland's start to the season was rough. Rangers dropped points in their opening two league matches, got knocked out of Europe by Czech side Jablonec, and their new captain looked short of confidence and sharpness. For a striker carrying the weight of a boyhood club move and a 60-goal record across his last three seasons, that pressure was visible.

But three goals in four Premiership games now tells a different story. The link-up play is improving too. Against Falkirk, no player on either side had more shots, and only Djeidi Gassama had more touches in the opposition box. Shankland wasn't just scoring, he was pulling strings.

The mental side of his second goal stands out. He'd just missed an open chance, the kind of miss that can unsettle a striker for the rest of a game. Instead, he stayed calm and slotted a left-footed finish into the bottom corner minutes later. That's experience talking.

Rangers Are Stabilising, But the Window Chaos Has Been Real

This week at Ibrox has been anything but straightforward off the pitch. Rangers knocked back a loan bid from Besiktas for Nicolas Raskin on the same day they accepted a £1m loan offer to send Thelo Aasgaard to Anderlecht. McInnes admitted he was sitting on the team bus not knowing who was staying and who was leaving.

That kind of instability during a match week is exactly why Rangers have looked inconsistent. Twelve signings in one summer is a rebuild, not a refresh, and rebuilds take time. The squad is young, the combinations are still being worked out, and results early in the season have reflected that.

Raskin's return from the start against Falkirk, and the news that he looks set to stay beyond the transfer deadline, is genuinely significant. He was central to Shankland's opener, winning possession in his own half and driving the attack forward. Rangers miss him badly when he's not there, as the Jablonec tie proved.

With the window closing and what looks like a more settled squad taking shape, we'd expect Rangers to start climbing the Premiership table steadily from here.

What the Betting Markets Might Be Missing

Rangers opened their account with wins at Pittodrie and now in Falkirk, both ground out rather than stylish, but winning ugly matters in a title race. The bigger point is that when Rangers have their captain fit, confident and scoring, they're a different side.

Shankland's anytime scorer price has value right now. He's a striker who scores in clusters once he gets going, and the signs of that momentum are right there in the numbers. Three goals in four games, increasing influence in build-up play, and a manager who clearly trusts him with the big moments.

For accumulators, Rangers winning their next home fixture looks reasonable given the trajectory. The squad is settling, Raskin adds genuine quality in midfield, and McInnes is getting his first clear week of preparation without transfer noise cluttering the background.

The title race in Scotland is wide open this season. Rangers haven't hit their ceiling yet, and neither has Shankland.

If he keeps this form going, the captain might just end up being the difference between Rangers challenging seriously and another season of what-ifs.