RANGERS legend Mark Hateley has called on the Ibrox support to stick with chief executive Charles Green.

There remains a lingering suspicion abut the motives of the Yorkshireman, but the ex-Ibrox hitman insists that Green has quickly immersed himself in the club – and wants to have a big say in getting them back to the top.

The former Gers striker has warned fans that the only way to get back into the top flight and back into the realms of European football is to balance the books off the park while developing young talent on it.

It is Green whom he believes is the right man to lead the club through the wilderness years of the lower leagues.

"Charles has come into the club and while people were a bit uncertain of him at first, I think he has shown that already he has become a Rangers man," said Hateley.

"It is not just him, I think the people around him have been bitten by the Rangers bug.

"When you come into the club it doesn't take long to fully appreciate the passion and desire of the support. They are fanatical; how many other teams in the world could have 50,000 fans turn up for a Third Division game?

"Like many people who come to Gers from down south, I don't think he fully appreciated the size of the club until he was here.

"It isn't just a club, it is an institution and I think it did not take long for him to grasp that."

Hateley would like to see Green spearhead Rangers as they strive to get back on to the top of the domestic pile.

"The worst possible thing for Rangers would be that he would walk away any time soon," he said. "It would be a disaster.

"What we need now as a club is to be managed properly so that we can be as strong off the park as we are on it.

"Rangers need a steady hand and that is what Green can bring.

"I've met him a few times, I'll hopefully have a few other meetings with him in the months to come and I think he is the right man to lead the club forward.

"He knows what is required here. I think he has a sound business plan that will get Rangers in shape off the park, which is vital if we want to move forward."