Abdallah Sima had made quite the impact for Rangers after joining them on loan from Brighton in the summer, the Senegalese forward helping himself to a handsome number of goals in the early part of the season. But the 22-year-old then suffered a bit of a dip in form and his manager Philippe Clement reckoned he knew why. “He’s a first-time father with a baby in the house, taking care of his wife and the baby crying, so a little bit less sleep, a little bit less fresh.”

But it was nice to hear Clement add “that’s part of life and is also important”, suggesting that he acknowledged that Sima taking care of his wife and baby was a good thing and that maybe he’d just bear with him while he tended to his fatherly duties, which, of course, are infinitely more important than net-busting.

Hold yer horses: “He’s now sleeping before games in a separate room to get his rest, we talked about that,” said Clement. And since then, a well-rested Sima has scored four goals in three games, bringing his season’s tally to 13. Unlucky for some, especially Mrs Sima.

Soon enough, she won’t be the only one. “We have players who are getting babies – there are quite a few in December and January,” said Clement. If their partners have any sense, they’ll look for moves in the transfer window.