IT would be extremely time consuming and bordering on impossible to work out how many managers, coaches and players have gone into Rangers over, let’s say, the last 20 years.

Not such a tricky task would be to count how many of them declared, once they left, that ‘Rangers wasn’t as big a club as I thought’.

That’s a big fat zero. You never hear of even a disgruntled former employee talking about how life inside and outside the club was boring, totally without pressure and even the most minor of setbacks was treated in a balanced way.

READ MORE: Gordon Strachan: Rangers are too big for many of their players and that's why Celtic are still two years ahead

Graeme Souness was blown away by what Rangers meant. He won three European Cups with Liverpool, the best team in the world at the time, and had just left Sampdoria, one of Serie A’s most cherished names. Not everyone can handle it all.

So, when Gordon Strachan of all people pointed out that some signings made by Steven Gerrard and, it must be said, director of football Mark Allen, had found being a Rangers players ‘too big’ it wasn’’t a throwaway line designed to cause a stir.

At Dens Park on Sunday, there wasn’t anyone in Gerrard’s side who put their foot on the ball and decided that they were going to be the match-winner. Well, except for Allan McGregor and, superb that he is, it was asking a lot for him to score a late goal.

That is unacceptable to the supporters. They grew more restless as the ball was shifted safely and mostly without any intent. It was if they were happy to let other people take responsibility to make that killer pass or cross. Not good enough.

“Drawing with Dundee on the weekend was a huge blow for Steven Gerrard and his players,” said Strachan. “The eyes of the world were on you, the game was live on TV – there it is, there’s your chance. And they failed to take it.

“They seem better suited to European fixtures. The ideas that Steven and Gary McAllister have in terms of playing football is more beneficial when you’re counter attacking. In Scotland, teams sit against you, and you need people to open them up.

“That’s what Celtic have got with Callum McGregor and James Forrest, someone who can beat two people. Rangers are doing all the right things, the club is trying to go in the right direction, but do they have the quality of Celtic? No.

“The final pass is a problem, James Tavernier is the only one I see just now who regularly makes assists. He’s got that bit of quality that’s a wee bit different. The question for Rangers is where do they get more of that quality? It’s not easy to find, and the recruitment has been less than impressive for Rangers.”

Rangers are better than last season. They remain in the title hunt when they were more or less out of the running at this time over the previous two seasons. The defence is stronger, at times the football has been good and tomorrow we will see whether they can stay in Europe, which would be a remarkable achievement.

Hey, they were top of the Premiership has recently as this month.

The problem is that Gerrard is restricted with who he can buy.

As Strachan, in his always readable column for Paddy Power, said: “Every transfer is a gamble. There are players in England on £500,000-a-week and they’re not successful, so there are no guarantees. And you have to gamble sometimes. So Steven is right – yes, he has to keep trying to find players.

“I’m sure he’ll be looking at this youth team as well but, if there’s nothing there that’ll blow you away, you have to go into the market. There’s only so much coaching you can do, there’s a point where players can’t improve any more so you have to look elsewhere.

“The proof is there. Who in the English Premier League would take any of Steven’s players at the moment? I don’t think there’d be a rush for them. But, for Celtic’s squad, there’d be a scramble for one or two of them.”

I don’t agree with Strachan that Alfredo Morelos has been affected by the pressure of playing for Rangers. He has been excellent. It’s just he’s a hot-head which, one would imagine, will cool down.

“It’s up to Morelos to decide if his behaviour improves or takes away from the club,” said Strachan Someone’s got to have a word with him,...sometimes that’s all it takes, the penny might drop – but, for some players, it never will.”

The job of being a Rangers player is not easy. If it were, then anyone could do it.

As Gerrard has discovered over the last few games, a few in the squad don’t look as if they can handle the pressure of being at such a big club.