Rangers 3-0 East Stirlingshire: Things we learned as Gers cruise to routine win

Rangers won a pretty dull encounter over East Stirlingshire in the third game of their League Cup group stage, with Andy Halliday and Josh Windass the scorers before Joe Dodoo grabbed a debut goal.

Halliday's first-half penalty was soon followed by a tap-in from Windass to give Rangers a 2-0 lead, although the Gers lost a bit of impetus after the withdrawal of Michael O'Halloran and Windass, and even Niko Kranjcar was unable to liven things up in a dull second half. A good team move in injury-time, however, added a third as Lee Wallace teed up Joe Dodoo for a debut goal.

Here's what we learned...

1. Michael O'Halloran should probably be starting

O'Halloran is looking to get back on track after a stuttered start to his Rangers career, and while he could still do with finding an end product from out wide, he's shown that he's a lot more than just a physical winger. Moving into the centre, his ability to skip away from defenders and pass between the lines looks like he could be another versatile forward, and add to the extreme fluidity of our frontline. Barrie McKay, Martyn Waghorn, and Michael O'Halloran for the front three?

2. Martyn Waghorn and James Tavernier were missed

Martyn Waghorn appears to be improving at playing through the centre after some very mixed performances there. Kenny Miller hasn't looked anything like the man he was last year so far, and while there's plenty of time to go, we probably can't rely on his latest reinvention as a deep-lying striker. Perhaps he can turn into something else, but for now Waghorn is clearly our best option.

And he wasn't the only one who was missed. Tavernier's influence not only allows us far better play up front due to a true master of late arrivals cropping up on the edge of the area, but his energy also helps us maintain possession. Lee Hodson looks like a very able deputy but he's a defender. Tavernier is a machine.

3. BT Sport can get tae

It might be good for Rangers TV to be able to use their streams, but they should probably send someone to give the aerial a wobble if so. Preferably Chris Sutton. On a rainy night.

4. We still need a proper midfield

Rangers will forever play beneath themselves until they get a proper midfield rather than Andy Halliday and Harry Forrester. Given that we now have the best three in the country by a mile in Joey Barton, Jordan Rossiter and Niko Kranjcar, we should start bedding them in soon. Barton and Rossiter are probably going to be the players this season we fall apart without.