Midway through a chaotic second half at Falkirk yesterday, the name of Nico Raskin rang out among the Rangers supporters in the away end.
Often maligned as a player who too often goes missing when his team really needs him, Raskin had just fired the ball low into the bottom corner to put Rangers 3-2 up.
It was an excellent finish at the end of a powerful run forward from the middle of the pitch. It was also a goal which turned the game completely on its head, given that Rangers trailed 2-0 shortly before half-time.
But an incredible burst of four goals in 16 minutes either side of the break saw Danny Rohl’s side pick themselves up off the canvas and eventually surge to a thumping 6-3 victory.
It was a huge result for Rangers that moved them back to within a point of leaders Hearts in the title race — and a performance which saw them lurch from woeful to wonderful seemingly in the blink of an eye.
Raskin would go on to be named man of the match, a fitting reward given the manner in which he had picked the team up by the scruff of the neck and driven them on to victory.
Nico Raskin demonstrated his growing importance to Rangers in their 6-3 win against Falkirk
When the Rangers fans started singing his song, it felt like it hadn’t been belted out with quite as much gusto since the 0-0 Old Firm draw with Celtic at Ibrox back at the end of August.
That was a game, of course, in which Raskin did not play. He had been bombed out of the squad under Russell Martin and there were suggestions he could be sold before the transfer window closed.
Having been exiled from the squad under the old regime, with Martin claiming that the Belgian’s head had been turned amid interest from other clubs, Raskin watched that Old Firm game at home on TV.
When 50,000 Rangers fans inside Ibrox started singing his name, it was abundantly clear who they backed in the player-vs-manager spat.
Raskin’s revival since then has been impressive, but it was not instantaneous. When Rangers lost 2-1 away at Hearts just a few days before Christmas, he was an empty jersey in midfield.
On social media and radio phone-ins, fans slaughtered him for his performance at Tynecastle. Certainly, any notion of Rangers fielding £25million bids for him would have been laughed out of town.
That was the price tag that Rangers set for him last summer. At that point, it was without question inflated to such a degree that the intention was to put other clubs off.
But if Raskin can finish this season as a league winner with Rangers, before heading off with Belgium and playing in the World Cup, £25m would not look so ridiculous after all.
He could yet be the midfield driving force in a Rangers team that wins the title. Rohl’s side are hitting form, scoring 14 goals in their last three league matches.
The influence of Raskin on this team is growing by the week. He was outstanding in that second half at Falkirk, often picking the ball up deep from the defenders and driving forward.
The way his relationship broke down with Martin, and then pivoting to become a key player under Rohl, is in many ways emblematic of Rangers’ season as a whole.
Raskin is trusted by manager Danny Rohl who regards the midfielder as his on-field lieutenant
Since Rohl took charge back in October, no outfield player at Rangers has played more minutes than Raskin. And it’s not even close, actually. He is miles out in front.
‘There’s a reason why since I’ve been here Nico has played nearly every minute on the pitch,’ said the Rangers manager yesterday when asked about Raskin. ‘I’ve supported him from the first day and we’ve trusted each other.’
Yet, beyond what Raskin does with the ball, his leadership skills are also now coming to the fore. It was Raskin and James Tavernier who led the half-time inquest yesterday inside the Rangers dressing room.
He is also Rohl’s on-field lieutenant, the player the manager trusts above all others to deliver mid-game tactical interactions to the rest of his team-mates.
‘He’s my guy on the pitch when I need to do a tactical part — I bring him out when I have to tell him something,’ continued Rohl.
‘I like to see my number six playing box-to-box, but we also need a good balance to control our rest-defence and not be too open.’
Speaking about Raskin’s performance, Bojan Miovski noted: ‘He’s a fantastic player, a great character and of course he’s a great player.
‘He played for the national team of Belgium with their big players. Of course, he helped us a lot. He was a man of the match at the weekend and I hope he can keep playing this way.’
This is Raskin’s fourth season at Ibrox. He is under contract for another two years until the summer of 2028. If he wins a title and plays in a World Cup this summer, it would be the prime opportunity for Rangers to cash in.
This was a huge failing of the old regime. There was a reluctance to move players on. Major assets were squandered.
Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos would be prime examples, with both players eventually leaving the club for free despite being valued between £15m-£20m at one point.
Russell Martin dropped Raskin from his squad, claiming that the player’s head had been turned
The player trading model, something which Rangers often spoke about in the past without ever actually being able to kick into gear, could finally get up and running.
Raskin’s form is excellent right now. On current form, he is the best midfielder in the country. He’s also a fully-fledged Belgian international with every chance of playing in the World Cup.
Rangers would be daft if they didn’t at least explore the idea of cashing in on their top asset come the summer.
Rohl will need more funds beyond the £16m raised from a new share issue, especially if Rangers are to compete properly in Europe again next season.
Raskin now looks like he is finally maturing into the player Rangers fans believed he could be right from the very start.
At 25 years of age, he is coming into the peak years of his career. A midfield dynamo whose personal revival mirrors that of Rangers as a whole.
