IT IS a walk that many have dreamt of ...

but a journey that few have made at Ibrox.

Through the front doors, up the Marble Staircase, past the bust of Bill Struth and then Sandy Jardine, have a glance at the Hall of Fame board, study the pictures on the wall and take a seat in the Blue Room.

It was the route that Mark Warburton took for the first time yesterday, each step along the famous path seeing the surroundings sink in that little bit more as he got a taste of life as Rangers manager.

As he faced the cameras for the first time, flanked by his right-hand man David Weir and the men who put him in place, Paul Murray and John Gilligan, the famous faces, and one well-known one, looked down on him from above.

Warburton follows in the footsteps of the likes of Struth, of Willie Waddell, of his former boss Jock Wallace and of Walter Smith. He finds himself in a situation like none of his illustrious predecessors, but with the opportunity to write his own chapter in the history books and leave his own legacy.

He is the City trader turned youth coach and now manager, the man who turned his back on his lifestyle in London to chase a dream in the beautiful game.

He is the 52-year-old who took Brentford from League One to within touching distance of the Premier League, the man entrusted with returning a club to its former glory. He is the manager of Rangers.

"It's inspiring. It has to be," Warburton said as he sat and sampled the surroundings inside Ibrox on his first day in office.

"It's the same in the City, when you walk into a major bank, it can be daunting and a heavy load on your back, or you can relish it.

"When you look at the Blue Room and the Trophy Room here, how can you not be inspired by that?

"When I left my old environment in the City, I didn't know what to expect from football. I didn't know how far I could go.

"I set myself a 10-year target and if it didn't work, I'd have to re-think it. It worked out well within that 10-year period and to be sitting here today is fantastic."

Ibrox is now home for Warburton, but he has little time to get accustomed to his new surroundings.

With the start of the season just six weeks away, the task ahead is considerable for the former Bees boss as he looks to reshape a depleted squad.

It is not just a title-winning group he must assemble; he must lay the foundations for an eventual Premiership challenge.

His methods and philosophy represent a change in direction for Rangers, but the basics, the requirement to win, remains the same.

"I'm walking around the pitch this morning, getting the tour of the stadium, looking at the magnificent history and the facilities here," Warburton said.

"But, if I'm an away player coming here, I would relish it and enjoy it. There are no expectations, but what a great place to come and play football. Look at that pitch, look at that stadium.

"We've got to build the mentality here that Ibrox is a fortress - and this is how we're going to play the game.

"We're going to dictate to the opposition, in a very respectful way, and it's about playing our way.

"It's not about them, it's about us. If we do what we can do well, we'll win the game. That's how we've dealt with every team."

Before Warburton can start planning how to win games, he has to build a squad capable of it as he looks to assess and remodel Rangers' football operations at all levels.

The arrival of Warburton and Weir has given fans a timely boost after several months to forget, the lure of a fresh approach and risk of a step into the unknown exciting them ahead of another season in the Championship.

Only time will tell how successful the partnership will be, but the Londoner is eager to instil a passion and belief into those who will pull on the famous jersey next season.

He said: "We want players who want to play for Rangers, who are passionate about the club. We ask them to work hard every day and it's up to us to create an environment where they know that if they don't work hard, they won't get picked. Simple as that.

"Without that clear guideline, they have a problem. We will make demands of the players every single day they come into work.

"They have to enjoy coming into work. They are professional athletes who will hopefully enjoy the end product."

Having convinced the Ibrox board he is the right man, Warburton now has to prove his worth to the fans he hopes will pack the stands to inspire his team to the Championship title.

Many supporters have been sold on the idea of his appointment alongside Weir for some time, while Murray and Gilligan held talks with several candidates over the Gers job.

The interview process was not a one-way street, however. Thankfully for Rangers, Warburton liked what he was hearing, too.

He said: "If you ask the right questions and get the right answers, you must be excited by it. I got very positive answers about the ambition of the club. That was very clear, as was the passion behind the club.

"There is a desire to take the club back to where it was before. That shone through in all the conversations we had. David and I have worked together closely and he would speak about Rangers every day and where it should be."