There's a difference between a dead cat bounce and a dead cat strategy.
But neither of them seem all that appealing. And right now Giovanni van Bronckhorst is in serious danger of deploying both of them at the same time.
The dead cat bounce is a term used in the investment industry to describe a temporary rise in the price of shares during a prolonged period of decline, all based on the theory that even a dead cat will bounce if it falls from high enough.
In football it’s better known as the new manager impact – a sudden upturn in results that can be directly attributed to a change of leadership in the dugout.
But often it also papers over the cracks that were causing the previous guy such a big problem in the first place.
Van Bronckhorst certainly fits nicely into that category, having done so much to steady a ship that was starting to list quite noticeably under Steven Gerrard before the Scouser and his backroom team manned the first available life raft for Aston Villa.
But it’s what happens next that will determine if an unconvincing start to the second half of the season is just a blip or something far more serious for the new Rangers boss.
The dead cat strategy, on the other hand, comes straight from the Downing Street play book of political black arts – a classic diversionary tactic designed to take eyes off balls.
When the conversation over dinner is becoming awkward and a little too inconvenient, toss a dead cat on the dining table and give them something else to talk about.
And unwittingly, Van Bronckhorst might tick that box too.
Because, while the focus right now is on the Dutchman’s tactical tweaking, team selections and substitutions, the overarching fact remains that Rangers have been guilty of standing still in the transfer market for the best part of 18 months.
Yes, last week’s capture of Amad Diallo on a short-term loan from Manchester United has beefed up the manager’s attacking options for the second half of the season.
And true, the unquestionably talented youngster made quite a first impression at the weekend when he got off the mark against Ross County.
Who knows? As a child prodigy with a £37million price tag, Diallo could go on from here to be a genuine difference-maker where this season’s title race is concerned.
But when he returns to Old Trafford as a better rounded, more experienced player at the end of the season it won’t change the fact that the Rangers squad he leaves behind is in serious danger of becoming stale and in need of some major investment.
So it will be fascinating to see if sporting director Ross Wilson has anything left up his sleeve before the transfer window shuts down tonight because on Saturday’s evidence Van Bronckhorst needs all the help he can get.
Wilson and the board may have worked hard to surround themselves with happy clappers but regardless of this hand picked human shield, the mood will turn considerably should Rangers be toppled off their perch at the top of the table on Wednesday night when they cross the Clyde to face Celtic.
The truth of the matter is, comparatively, Ange Postecoglou has been given the backing to throw the kitchen sink at turning Celtic’s fortunes around. The Aussie’s rapid recruitment drive has transformed a team that was in terminal decline before his arrival and is now 90 minutes away from reclaiming top spot.
Saturday’s late winner against Dundee United has added to the sense of momentum that has been building behind Postecoglou for some time but which is now peaking at a potentially critical point in the campaign.
Conversely, that Rangers let a win get away from them in the dying seconds of a shambolic defensive display in Dingwall has added to the uncertainty over the direction of travel under Van Bronckhorst.
Put it this way, the further he deviates from the blueprint Gerrard laid down for this team, the less convincing Rangers’ performances have become.
So much so that it’s starting to feel as if this is a team in danger of losing its own sense of identity.
That Diallo was thrown straight into the starting XI in the Highlands despite only just walking through the doors at Auchenhowie, suggests van Bronckhorst is still desperately searching for something he has not yet found inside the building.
Cedric Itten being promoted to the role of first-choice understudy to Alfredo Morelos – despite being deemed surplus to requirements by the previous manager – has caused the waters to be even more muddied, especially given that the limitations of the Swiss striker remain every bit as obvious as they did before he was recalled from what was supposed to be a season long loan deal in Germany.
If Van Bronckhorst opts to hang his hat on Itten again on Wednesday night, rather than place his trust in Kemar Roofe or Fashion Sakala, he’ll be taking the kind of leap of faith that tends to result in serious questions being asked about the integrity of a manager’s own judgment.
And given he’s already feeling some heat for making curiously negative changes from the sidelines, Van Bronckhorst can do without pouring more fuel on the fire.
When the manager replaced Scott Arfield with John Lundstram on Saturday in Dingwall, after his side had stormed back from 2-1 down to claim a 3-2 second half lead, Van Bronckhorst was unintentionally sending out entirely the wrong message.
And it’s not the first time he’s been guilty of it during his first 13 games in charge.
All in all then, this error-strewn trip to the Highlands could hardly have come at a more inconvenient moment for Van Bronckhorst who also had to deal with the embarrassment of the abhorrent, hate-filled messages that were sent to Ross County’s Regan Charles-Cook on social media.
That all three of Rangers goals were scored by black men seems to have been completely lost on the racist simpleton or simpletons who aimed such filth at the Premiership’s leading scorer.
Either way, the vile messages succeeded only in turning what was already a bad day for Rangers into a shameful one. They also feed into the narrative of a season in danger of spiralling out of control.
The cat’s not dead yet of course. But after all the gloom of these last couple of days, the last thing Van Bronckhorst needs now is to be caught choking on an Old Firm furball.
