They've started seven domestic games together at the heart of Rangers’ defence.
They’re unbeaten and have kept six clean sheets - with Celtic the only team to score against them. Now, I know that’s a small sample size. And there’s still loads of development to come in the partnership. But if Connor Goldson and Ben Davies can stay fit and healthy between now and the end of the season, they could be pivotal to any success Michael Beale’s side have.
So far, their games alongside each other have been pretty sporadic in the Premiership, before Goldson’s injury against Liverpool in the Champions League and since his return a few weeks ago. But the theory behind these stats is bang on. That is, you simply can’t under-estimate how important it is - for any team chasing trophies - to have that stability at the back. By the way, with all due respect, at Rangers and Celtic your centre-halves don’t have to be brilliant players. But having a familiarity between you and your partner back there is absolutely crucial. Just look across the city at Parkhead. I still think there’s a lot wrong in Carl Starfelt’s game. But the partnership with him and Cameron Carter-Vickers has been outstanding. They have a similarly impressive record when they’re paired together. And it’s won them leagues and cups.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Richard Gough and Terry Butcher. But it has to be stable. They have to be safe and sound. Personally, I believe the jury’s still out on Davies individually. Up until recently, he wasn’t able to nail down a place in the Rangers team due to injury. He’s missed a lot of games.
Is he robust enough to commit to a full season - or even half a season - when the pressure is on at Ibrox? That’s the question. But it’s vital that Michael establishes a settled partnership between him and Goldson between now and May. The right side of Rangers’ defence has picked itself for years with Goldson and James Tavernier.
On the left, Borna Barisic has been a constant. But beside him, you’ve had Filip Helander, George Edmundson, Niko Katic, Leon Balogun, James Sands, Leon King - there have been so many. It’s been a mix and match.
But it’s so important to have partnerships on the pitch, especially at centre-back. The numbers don’t lie. When they’ve played together, they’ve had six clean sheets and they’re undefeated. I just want to see Davies stay fit now for the full season so that partnership can really grow and get better.
I experienced it myself as a player at Rangers and elsewhere. When I think of Davie Weir and Carlos Cuellar together, for example - those guys were constants.
When Carlos arrived, everyone saw how solid he was. He actually just left when I came back to the club in 2008 but Madjid Bougherra signed as his replacement. It was Davie and Bougy for the next few seasons and they were there every single week.
Davie was brilliant, a top level player. People think back to that time and say he was coming to the end of his career. But he was playing Champions League football at 40 years old. That tells you about the quality he had. He was never quick but he didn’t need to be. His brain was two yards ahead of everyone else because of his positioning. And he had proper leadership qualities. He communicated with players on the pitch and ensured he was never exposed.
Because of his experience and reading of the game, he was never left looking vulnerable. That’s how good he was. Bougy alongside him was a bit of a maverick but he was a fantastic player. He was big, strong, quick - and he could play. Davie had to keep him on a leash at times. But that proves my point about the partnership.
It’s not just about two individual players back there together. It was a really good partnership that worked for us. When I was at Celtic, I played with Gary Caldwell and Stephen McManus which was also a very strong partnership when you look at what they achieved together.
And listen, even when I came back to Rangers and played under Mark Warburton. In our Championship winning season, Rob Kiernan and Danny Wilson were there together every week. That was a lower level but the bottom line is a partnership was forged and it worked on the pitch. If you can get consistency in team selection, you get it. It’s not rocket science.
That’s only going to improve the performance of the team because players are understanding each other’s game. The centre of defence has been a really tough area for Rangers of late. Since Goldson got injured - and remember he was the constant - it was Davies, Sands, King, even John Lundstram had to fill in at times.
There was complete turmoil in that position at the start of the season. So it’s no real surprise that goals were shipped, games were lost and points were dropped. Because the reality is that some of these boys aren’t ready or they’re not good enough.
With Allan McGregor behind them, Tavernier, Goldson, Davies and Barisic are undoubtedly Michael’s best back four. If these two can form a partnership in the middle - and the numbers suggest they can - maybe they can be the next really successful pairing for Rangers.
