Former Premier League centre-forward Dean Windass has slated sections of the Rangers fan base and claimed that an empty Ibrox may be to thank for the Glasgow club's incredible start to the 2020/21 campaign. 

Rangers currently sit atop the Premiership table, 16 points clear of their Old Firm rivals, though they have played three games more than the Premiership’s second-placed side. Rangers also finished in first place in their UEFA Europa League group and have impressively suffered just one defeat in all competitions so far this term. 

What did Windass have to say about Rangers fans and the club's form?

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Windass - an antagonistic figure amongst fans of the Glasgow club, having clashed with Rangers fans on social media over his son, Josh, who previously played for the Gers - had this to say about the impact of Rangers fans being unable to attend games:

"There’s no pressure on the players because they’re not getting pelters from the stands. I’ve witnessed it when Josh was there and they’re getting beat – they are ruthless.

“So when the supporters are allowed in we’ll see how good they are, like when they got beat by St Mirren, they’d have got absolute pelters from the supporters.

“So then they go into the next game with more pressure on the next game because the supporters have put more pressure on them.

“But there’s no supporters to put pressure on them, so they go out there, there’s no screaming and bawling and getting slagged off.

“So yeah, I expect them to win the league.”

Rangers preventing their rivals from making history 

Gers fans can surely see it as a positive that despite his feelings about the way his son Josh was treated, Windass believes that they will win the Premiership this season. With the Gers attempting to prevent Celtic from winning what would be a historic 10th straight Scottish top-flight title in a row this term, perhaps that’s the most important thing of all for fans of the Glasgow club. 

However, the reason behind Windass’ faith in their title charge will still ruffle a few feathers amongst the Ibrox faithful, even if some may agree that the often amazing atmosphere can turn into a cauldron of pressure for the players under the wrong circumstances.

Time will tell if this current crop of stars can indeed cope with the pressure when fans eventually return, but if Windass is right then it could be a blessing in disguise for Steven Gerrard and his side that the famous Ibrox will remain silent for now.

In other news, some Rangers fans have been reacting to their club's tweet sharing 'amazing' Itten footage.