HE is the moody blue who has become a true blue.

The Rangers support holds a special place in Marco Negri's heart. Like so many players who come to these shores, the Ibrox crowd made quite an impact on the Italian, and left an impression that continues to this day, almost 14 years since he left Glasgow.

For some time after his departure, little was known about Negri's movements, the fleeting nature of his Rangers career seemingly mirroring his time in the thoughts of Gers fans.

The Italian may have been out of sight, but Rangers were still in his mind. The 44-year-old watched on as his former club hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, Rangers' fall from grace a shock to the system for a man who seemed set to fire Walter Smith's side to 10-in-a-row before his own remarkable decline.

Then, out of the blue, Negri was back. As the boardroom battle intensified, the Italian enigma backed the fans who had cheered every one of the 23 goals he netted in his first 10 games, a feat that should have been the foundation for a hugely successful Ibrox career.

He became a supporter of the Sons of Struth as they were at the forefront of protests against a reviled regime and signed up to Rangers First as thousands of fans stepped up and paid.

Between Negri's last two visits to Glasgow - January's return for a tribute game in aid of Fernando Ricksen and a whirlwind tour in recent days as he promotes his new book - plenty has changed on and off the park at Ibrox.

With their dreams of promotion still very much alive and a new board in place, there is a far more positive outlook for the Light Blue legions at present, and Negri is pleased to see the fans' efforts and patience rewarded at last.

"I think now the Rangers supporters can see the light at the end of the tunnel," he told SportTimes.

"The fans have been incredible. They have come together with the likes of Rangers First and the Sons of Struth.

"They took a stand and did what they had to do. The fans are the most important thing for a club and they helped to change the story.

"Rangers need time and it will take time. It could take three, four, five years. But, with the support of the fans again, I am sure Rangers will be back at the top.

"I was following the Rangers story online and I was reading that things were bad at the club.

"It was a sad situation. There were a lot of bad stories.

"Rangers gave me so much, so many memories and good feelings and I wanted to give something back to the club and the fans.

"I wanted to show I was on the side of the fans and give a bit of help and support to Rangers."

The dark clouds that hung above Ibrox for so long may have lifted but Rangers still have their issues, on and off the park.

After assuming control just over a month ago, the new board are continuing to work behind the scenes to fully understand what the Gers have gone through and to plot where the club will head in the short, medium and long term.

While that task, and the rebuilding job, will take some time, the future in a football sense will become clearer in the coming days and weeks.

Having rescued Rangers' play-off ambitions, Stuart McCall has his sights set on the Premiership as he looks to guide the Light Blues back to the top tier.

The turnaround since McCall's appointment last month has been significant and Negri is pleased to see his former Ibrox team-mate making his mark in the dugout.

He said: "I played alongside Stuart and I remember him well. He was a very tough player but he had a lot of quality.

"He was an excellent professional and a really good team-mate. I am pleased to see him as manager.

"In my first season, he was struggling with a bad knee injury and he was recovering.

"But he was so supportive to me and the new players. I have got great memories of him. He has a hard job just now but he has done well so far.

"The first thing he had to do was build confidence in the team. The confidence was so low because of all the troubles. But I have got positive feelings about what will happen this season."

Having seen his side recover from the defeat to Queen of the South with a 4-0 win over Raith Rovers on Sunday, McCall takes Rangers to Livingston tomorrow night aiming to guide the Gers to second spot and another step closer to the top flight.

The dream is still alive for Negri and Rangers fans and the Italian knows Premiership football is crucial if the rebuilding work is to pick up pace.

Negri said: "Rangers still have the chance to go up through the play-offs and I think Stuart is the best man for the job and the club at the moment to help them do that this season.

"It is very important for Rangers to get promoted. I know there is a big job to be done at the club off the pitch.

"But, on the pitch, it is also a very important time. We need everyone together and to win promotion.

"Rangers still have the chance to go up. It would be brilliant for the club and the fans. It is important for Scottish football as well."

* Moody Blue - The Story of Mysterious Marco is published by Pitch Publishing.

The book, which retails at £19.99, is available from Waterstones, WH Smith, Amazon and other book shops.

It is also available, from today, as an ebook for Kindle, iPad and other appliances.