Rangers’ victory against Preston was thoroughly deserved – partly because of Paulo Sousa’s decision to go all out for the win with 10 minutes to go.

Many people who work in the game and whose judgement I trust say that the hallmark of a good manager is a team that can switch formations seamlessly during a match.

In that case, the early signs are very good for Rangers under Sousa.

He confirmed after the game that the players had been practising a back-up formation should one be needed during a match.

He didn’t really need to say this though, because it was obvious from the moment the change was made that the players were very clear about what was happening.

Managers often change formations and personnel of course, usually when chasing a game.

But more often than not, this means simply a sticking an extra body up front and switching to 4-3-3 or another system all players are familiar with.

Saturday’s switch was a bit different. It involved a specific plan for when a win might be slipping away from Rangers and following Preston’s second equaliser, that plan was put into action.

If a winning goal hadn’t arrived – or even if it had been scored by Preston – the fact such a plan was in place and Sousa was ready to make the change would itself have been an encouraging sign.

Of course it’s easy to praise a coach/manager after a win or two.

Most teams initially fare well under a new man and when they don’t, it’s often not something the manager is to blame for.

These are still very early days for Sousa and although, like all managers, he’ll be judged by what happens on the pitch, what happens off it is just as important – especially at QPR these days.

I was cynical about whoever took the job. In fact, I argued that it really didn’t matter who the coach/manager was.

This is because the infrastructure at QPR means that a mere coach will only have a limited influence – no matter how good he is.

At most clubs, the manager is the public face of an array of staff he relies on heavily.

Rangers might be cash-rich, but it is still the case that in many important ways they are the poor man of the Championship.

For example, there is no chief scout or any credible scouting set-up to speak of.

This is reflected in the club’s transfer policy of trying to use their money to sign Premier League or Championship players who already have a reputation.

But it affects more than finding players. It also has a major impact on preparations for games and all sorts of other things that have a much bigger impact on results than what the coach does on a Saturday afternoon.

You can be the best coach in the world but if your tactics are working a treat and the opposition bring on two players you know nothing about and who didn’t play when the opposing side were watched by someone from your club, then you’ve got a problem.

Background knowledge, contacts in the game and a strong backroom team are so important.

Think of the great football Rangers played under the excellent Gigi De Canio, but also how many leads were conceded and how many equalisers were scored or set up by a substitute after a change of system by an opposing team.

The really encouraging thing for Rangers – much more so than a couple of exciting home wins – is that Sousa seems to be taking some steps towards dealing with all this.

The significance of Dani Parejo’s departure cannot be overstated. It needed to happen in order to undo past mistakes and show the other players who calls the shots.

Damiano Tomassi’s days at Rangers are also numbered – another sign that the balance in power is shifting towards Sousa.

And most significantly of all, after swatting up on English players and binging on DVDs, Sousa now seems to be identifying his own transfer targets – an immeasurable step forward for QPR at this stage.

“He knows what he wants. It’s his way or no way – that’s the bottom line," was how Damion Stewart recently described Sousa's style to me. Others paint a similar picture.

If this trend continues in 2009, Rangers might be serious promotion candidates. If it doesn’t, no amount of money will ever be enough to get them out of the Championship.

Stability and good management are much more important than money and if Sousa can bring some of both, Rangers can make real progress.

You can hear Paulo Sousa’s thoughts on the Saturday’s game by clicking here.

And look out for my colleague Paul Fletcher’s great blog on his visit to ‘The Boutique’ on a day when, funny enough, the ground actually felt more like the Loftus Road I used to know.