With Rangers struggling to be as prolific in front of goal as they can be in recent weeks, we've got a serious problem now Martyn Waghorn, our top scorer, is injured for 6-8 weeks. In the league, we've got plenty of other options, but in the cups, things might get a bit trickier. Here are four ways Rangers could adjust to cope in his absence.
Option 1: Unleash Michael O'Halloran
You don't spend half a million on a player if you're not going to use him, so the most obvious option seems to be to simply replace him with Michael O'Halloran. Although O'Halloran is a striker or winger much like Waghorn, he'll offer a far more direct option down the flanks, while we keep Kenny Miller or Nicky Clark up front with Andy Halliday in a more advanced position, who can both take advantage of his cutbacks. This is probably a good option to use at Ibrox or any away game where the pitch isn't narrowed to the size of a bowling alley (after the Alloa draw, we fully expect that strategy to catch on among our opponents.)
Option 2: Pace, pace, pace
O'Halloran can also do a good job as a physical presence in the centre, so we might opt to deploy him there, with Billy King or Harry Forrester out on the right, depending on whether we want someone cutting in or not. This option offers a ton of speed up front and will be useful away or at home in trickier games for that reason.
Option 3: All-out attack
This option misses Andy Halliday's goals, but gets another presence in midfield like Gedion Zelalem to try and add more creativity, and hopefully more chances, to the frontline. In the league, we could easily have enough depth to even deploy McKay there, too.
Option 4: The cups
In the cups, where we'll be missing King and O'Halloran, options are scarce. This is the team we'd probably expect to see against Dundee, with Dominic Ball offering some solidity, Halliday further forward to provide drive and a goal threat, Kenny Miller or Nicky Clark as an orthodox striker up front and hoping that someone takes advantage of one of the 3,494 clear chances Wee Barrie will put on a plate for them, or that Forrester does something other than run down a blind alley and fluff one-on-ones.