YOU have to walk before you can run. But Dave King believes Rangers can already set their sights on the Premiership winning line after sprinting out of the traps this season.

The Ibrox chairman is confident Mark Warburton’s side are champions elect in the second tier and he reckons they can be considered top flight challengers next time out.

With nine wins from nine games, a run that has seen them score 35 goals already this term, it is easy to see why King fancies the Light Blues’ chances of clinching the Championship crown.

The new-look squad Warburton has in place, and the new style he has them playing, have rejuvenated the Ibrox crowd and given them hope of a bright future.

The first job that must be completed is winning the Championship title and ensure they will be playing Premiership football this time next year.

If that mission is achieved, King hopes another, one he doesn’t feel is impossible, will be accepted as Warburton looks to complete The Journey and the recovery.

“Yes,” was King’s emphatic reply when asked if he believed Rangers will challenge for the Premiership title next season.

“When we had the last discussion about this, I think I probably said that I felt we should be a solid second to Celtic.

“The way things have gone and the increased confidence that the board have in Mark because of the business he has done makes it easier for us to free up money to him because we trust his judgement.

“My thoughts now sitting here today have gone beyond that and we can start next season intending to win it.

“We might not win it because Celtic’s resources are very strong and they have more experience, but I think we should start the season with the intention to win the league.

“I think the team we have got at the moment could perform very, very well in the Scottish Premier League, but we are alert to the fact that we’re not at the level we think we will require there yet.

“We will add at least another five players at an equal or higher standard before we go into the Premier League.

“With the time we have got to prepare and for current players to settle, I don’t see myself sitting here at the start of next season, making excuses to the fans about us not trying to win the league.”

There is no doubt that Rangers are better equipped to launch a challenge for the Premiership title, should they get there, next season than they would have been this term if they had won promotion via the play-offs in June.

The appointment of Warburton and David Weir and the arrival of a host of players have transformed Rangers’ fortunes even quicker than those at Ibrox would have expected.

And King believes the gap to Old Firm rivals Celtic is not as difficult to bridge as it could have been as he dares to dream of top flight title glory.

He said: “It’s not as big, in my mind, as it was three or four months ago.

“Celtic have a budget that is a lot higher than Rangers, but do I think the quality of player Celtic has is a multiple of the budget that Rangers have? I don’t think so.

“Do I think the level of business that Mark Warburton has done is at a level that can compete with Celtic?

“At the moment, I think a number of them (the players) can do. More importantly, Mark believes it.”

While Warburton and his players will take nothing for granted in the coming months, Rangers already look well worth their status as title favourites this term.

The Light Blues are five points clear at the top of the table ahead of the visit of Livingston this weekend as they bid for their tenth successive win.

And King is keen to keep up the momentum and step up the rebuilding job to give Warburton the best possible chance of future success.

He said: “If we could accelerate our entry to Europe by winning the Scottish Cup, that would be fantastic, but that’s hit and miss.

“We’re at an early stage and let’s use the enthusiasm over what is happening on the field to start early and plan for next season.

“My expectations haven’t changed in the sense that I honestly felt we would win this league comfortably.

“With the early level of success, I have a personal comfort about where the team is that allows me to say to Mark: ‘Let’s start bringing in a level of player who we think can help next year and beyond’.

“I wouldn’t have thought we’d be in a position to be as well prepared for next season as we’re going to be. I’m not being arrogant, but I think we can start planning for next year’s campaign now and it gives us a lot of time to think about it and get it right.”

It is not just the top tier that King is confident Rangers will return to sooner rather than later.

The Light Blues haven’t been represented at the top table of Scottish football for several years.

But the Ibrox chairman believes it is only a matter of time before they have their say in the Hampden corridors of power once again.

King said: “It’s important because we want that level of influence and I think it’s important because it befits who Rangers Football Club are.

“I don’t want to be unkind in terms of the league, but I think we are seeing there is an inevitability that Rangers are on the way back.

“I think we [are] seeing an acceptance from the authorities that having Rangers back is a good thing and we must have a serious seat at the top table.”