THE battle is almost won, the war will soon be over ...

but the fight has only just begun.

A victory in the coming days for Dave King, Paul Murray and John Gilligan would signal a step in the right direction for Rangers, but there are many more to be taken on a long and arduous road to recovery.

If, as they hope and are confident of doing, they oust a beleaguered board from office, it will close one chapter and open another in this never-ending Rangers story.

Having seen James Easdale head for the exit door already, and with chairman David Somers set to follow suit, only Derek Llambias and Barry Leach remain in the King crosshairs.

It is surely only a matter of when, not if, the final remnants of this regime are removed.

In time, the future could once again be bright for Rangers and the club will again prosper, reclaiming a place at the top of Scottish football and operating in far more accustomed surroundings and conditions on and off the park.

But, in the here and now, and in the aftermath of a triumph that is seemingly edging ever closer, there will be no time to celebrate or settle back into familiar scenery and life in Ibrox boardroom.

The list of tasks that await King, Murray and Gilligan is almost endless, with every area of the club, from top to bottom, in need of time, attention and cash.

The opportunity to plan long-term, think of new methods and invest in the future, has been blown as millions of pounds have been squandered through business decisions that have been questioned by elements of the support.

A rare second chance has now presented itself and Rangers must make the most of it if King, Murray and Gilligan can seize power and start steering the ship away from stormy waters.

It is an opening former Ibrox chairman Alastair Johnston is confident will be used wisely as they look to return the club to its former glory.

"There is a lot of hard work ahead, but the difference this time will be that everyone is working with the same agenda and for the same goal, to benefit Rangers," Johnston told SportTimes.

"The difference with the challenges going forward that these guys have is that they can aggregate interests and do what is best for the club. We haven't had that situation since the day that Craig Whyte walked in the door."

After three years of pain, Rangers fans hope the light is finally at the end of the tunnel as boardroom change edges ever nearer.

When King, Murray and Gilligan met the Press in Glasgow last month, they were bullish about their chances of success, yet realistic about the job in hand and the time, effort and resources that will be required. There is no quick fix here.

The appointment of a new first-team manager will be one of their top priorities as they look to breathe fresh life into a football department that has stagnated and under-performed.

There will be a root-and-branch investigation of every deal done and contract signed during the last few years and much-needed work carried out to return Ibrox to its splendour.

They will have to pick up the pieces and put them back together one by one to repair the damage that has been done, and Johnston knows patience will be required.

He said: "It is a huge rebuilding job and I think the fans are pragmatic to the fact that it is going to take some time. There are a lot of Rangers fans, and I empathise with them, that don't want us to get promoted this year because we are not ready to be promoted.

"We should be promoted when we are ready to challenge. We don't want to go up, fight relegation and maybe even get relegated. That would be awful.

"I think the fans will re-engage with the club again. Some of them may be lost, they may be gone forever. But I would hope that many of them will come back.

"The reality of being promoted and then relegated the following season wouldn't be fun. I think fans are thinking long-term and along those lines that it will take time."

After a battle that has lasted many months, years even, King, Murray and Gilligan hope they have made the decisive move, but they will not be alone on the journey forward.

As well as thousands of fans, the would-be Ibrox saviours can count on the emotional investment from wealthy supporters, and can rely on the backing of the Three Bears - Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor - after they made a separate move to gain influence at Ibrox with the significant purchase of the shares held by Laxey Partners.

They will be joined by Johnston, too, but only in spirit. The Glasgow-born businessman, vice-chairman of media giants IMG, served Rangers for several years before his high-profile exit in the aftermath of Whyte's arrival at Ibrox, but there is unlikely to be a return to the top table.

Johnston said: "I have been in Glasgow four or five times in the last few months and I will be back again in a couple of months. I am not going to the EGM. But I will be back, business interests still take me back to Scotland regularly.

"I will always be close to Rangers Football Club, but I have never anticipated another formal role for myself. It will not just be Dave, Paul and John. There will be others that will come on board and be involved for the benefit of the club.

"It is not the Dave and Paul show. There are a lot of people who will throw their heart and soul into this, including the fans' groups. I think Rangers will follow a business model and a governance model that is pioneering in many ways and one, candidly, that I suggested to David Murray before he stepped out.

"I have got all sorts of correspondence on that subject in my files. If it actually transpires, I will have a great deal of personal satisfaction that what I wanted to happen back then, and urged David Murray to accommodate, actually happens this time."

Johnston may not be set for a return to frontline duty at Ibrox, but the Light Blue legions have already answered their call to arms.

Thousands have joined the Rangers Supporters' Trust and Rangers First in recent months as they have stepped up and paid to play their part in their club's future.

The removal of a distrusted, marginalised board is the reward they seek for their efforts, and Johnston has been pleased to see the reaction from the terraces.

"I am a Rangers Supporters' Trust member myself, so I have been watching really closely what has been going on and what the fans have been doing in recent weeks," he said.

"There is no question that it is good to see the fans so involved. I hope that continues to be the case."