MARK WARBURTON is not prepared to fail. And he will never fail to prepare.

The first week of his tenure as Rangers manager has been hectic for the 52-year-old, but it has also presented opportunities as plans have been put in place and objectives laid out.

Progress has been made in terms of recruitment and his pre-season schedule, while a greater understanding of just what he has inherited, on and off the park, has been formed.

It has all come either side of a trip to the European Under-21 Championship finals as part of his endeavours to gain his Uefa Pro Licence.

Warburton, who has made former Gers defender David Weir his assistant, has never been afraid of hard work, and soon his players will find that out for themselves when they return to training in just a few days’ time.

They will be put through their paces by the new man at the helm for the first time ahead of their opening game of the season in the Petrofac Training Cup on July 25.

It is on the training pitch at Murray Park rather than behind his desk that Warburton will look to make his mark. A wind of change will blow through the blue crested gates this summer and Warburton will set high standards that he expects others to follow.

He said: “I’m sure there was already lots of positive work going on. I’m never going to be critical of any previous ideas but I have my own. David and I know what we want to do and what we want to put in place.

“The first thing is getting the environment right at the training ground because that is where the players go to work every day. If they want to go to work then you must make it a place of work.

“I’ve been to some training grounds around the world and they are outstanding but they are like a leisure spa. They are so good you almost forget you are going there to work.

“I want the balance to be right. I want players to be proud to go there and to enjoy going there but they also must realise we are there to work.”

Having been handed the biggest opportunity of his football career by being entrusted with the task of trying to restore Rangers to a place at the top of Scottish football, now is not the time for Warburton to rest on his laurels.

It is in any case not the way the Londoner thinks or operates and not how he has got to where he is just a few years into a remarkable personal journey in the game.

The demands on his players will be high, but they will be no less than what is required as Rangers bid for the SPFL Championship title.

Warburton said: “It’s important, especially in pre-season when there will be times you are doing three sessions a day, that the players enjoy the working environment. When they go home they are resting.

“There is nothing better than coming in, doing some work, feeling you have made some progress and then going home and seeing your family, having a meal and resting in your own bed. They will never be at this training ground unless it’s for a good reason.”

Murray Park is where Rangers will do most of their preparations for the new campaign, though, as Warburton looks to get his message across to a squad that will continue to increase in size and grow in stature in the coming weeks.

Rangers have yet to announce any pre-season fixtures for the coming weeks but there will be no sojourns Stateside or to the sunshine this time.

Warburton said: “We’ll have a very good programme and we’ll look at how we use the Petrofac Cup game and the league games to make sure the build-up is right.

“We’ll be based here because if you are going to travel you have to plan it in advance.

“We went to the States last summer but that had been booked up six or seven months earlier. You don’t travel just for the sake of it.

“We have a magnificent training facility that we can use. There will be one or two short trips which will help with bonding but we want to maximise a great facility and prepare ourselves for the start of the campaign.”

Warburton has yet to meet the players who remain at Ibrox following the summer clear-out that saw a host of big names – including Lee McCulloch and Kris Boyd – released at the end of their deals.

He has a first-team squad of just 14 at his disposal as he prepares to get down to work and will quickly form opinions on those that are up for the task this coming season. He said: “If players don’t want to be here, I would rather they go.

“I don’t care if it is the top scorer or best goalkeeper, if they don’t want to be part of Rangers then they can go because that is a negative and a sapper to me.

“I will know pretty quickly. When we train, we will train hard, in terms of intensity. It doesn’t mean long hours, it means quality of work.

“I don’t think there will be any hiding place for any staff members or players, myself and David included.

“If we are not doing our job, we will get found out quickly. I want everyone to want to come to work, to want to work hard and then hopefully we will see the progress.”

Rangers fans have a week to renew their season tickets ahead of the club deadline. Supporters can renew via www.rangers.co.uk, by calling 0871 702 1972 or by returning their form to the Rangers Ticket Centre.