Pyro, delays and the best performance in a really long time. Rangers were brilliant in Dundee on Wednesday and I found myself whispering ‘Maybe, just maybe, Philippe Clement is the one’.

It’s early days and I still have so many doubts about this team and their capabilities because of what history has taught us. However, if Clement can get that level of performance out of this group regularly then we’ll all start to enjoy watching our club again. While you can caveat the performance with the standard of opposition and concede that it’s not the toughest challenge Rangers will face all season, that doesn’t mean we can’t praise the game in isolation. It’s not as if we’ve seen many full, 90-minute performances in the past two years.

The stats back that up too, as presented by the Rangers Review’s Joshua Barrie after the match. The number that stood out to me was an xG over 5, our third-highest since returning to the Premiership.

That upturn was visible on the eye. Straight away, Rangers were playing in a recognisable 4-2-3-1 shape that suited everyone. Leon Belgoun was a surprise selection but performed fantastically carrying the ball out of defence to make the first goal for Ryan Jack.

The midfield was well marshalled by another solid John Lundstram performance, winning every second ball and recovering possession plenty to benefit the team and assert control. It was almost like watching a Europa League performance from Lunny, and that makes sense given it was almost Thursday by the time the game got going!

The biggest difference for this viewer, however, was the inclusion of Danilo. Finally, Rangers had a frontman who players could hit with passes - providing movement, link-up and invention from the top end of the pitch. The Brazilian wasn’t perfect and could well have had a hat-trick before he lashed in our second of the game, but it would be disingenuous to ignore the difference our masked crusader makes to the frontline. Two in two is promising for a guy who is still rusty and getting up to speed, this was only his third league start of the season.

READ MORE: Analysing Danilo's dominant Rangers performance in 5-0 Dundee win - Joshua Barrie

Then, it was time for Sam Lammers to produce a goal-of-the-season contender before a lovely assist for Cyriel Dessers to tuck away our next couple of goals. James Tavernier scored from the spot once again to round off the win.

The intensity, intent and direction of play was completely different, that’s why we all enjoyed watching because it was an all-out attacking showing that was full of purpose. Forget the handbrake, Rangers went and had a go. This sets the tone for what they should produce moving forward.

I sat delighted watching and wondering IF, just IF, Philippe Clement may just be the man to finally shake this club in a way we have longed for ever since Steven Gerrard took us from regular hidings to 55 winners.

Clement's challenge is not to replicate that season, it’s to ensure normality is restored and this club make a habit of winning trophies again. That’s a massive challenge based on the last few years but the League Cup provides an early possibility with Hearts waiting at Hampden in Sunday’s semi-final.

Rangers now need to build on Wednesday's performance, individually and collectively - just as they did in Dundee after the dramatic scenes at Ibrox last weekend. Let’s see a continuation of the performance levels shown by Balogun and Lundstram, unlock more of the quality Lammers has demonstrated hints of, and reinstate some strength in depth with the returns of Dujon Sterling, Jose Cifuentes, Kieran Dowell and Borna Barisic.

Let’s kick on and prove everyone wrong, let’s prove this team do have the balls to make those performances a regular occurrence.

The fixture list will become more of a challenge but with that comes opportunity. The opportunity to make this season a successful one, because even if I may have reservations about any type of title challenge, the points gap at the top isn’t insurmountable.

Rangers simply have to prove that the Dundee performance is their level and get motoring towards Christmas.

Philippe Clement said he doesn’t have a wand like Harry Potter but early signs suggest his philosophy and style do indeed possess a little dose of magic.

The midweek performance made me happy, this week’s column is more positive than it has been in a long time! It’s up to Rangers to make that feeling a normality for us all.

Big Phil's blue and white army? It’s a bit early for that, but it’s okay to be quietly impressed by Wednesday night and expect there is more to come.