MARK WARBURTON is never prepared to fail, and he doesn’t fail to prepare.

His meticulous approach has seen him overhaul a squad of players and transform the fortunes of a team and philosophy of a club in just a few weeks.

The tactical tweaks – the use of his full-backs, the 4-3-3- formation, the interchange of positions and passes by quick, skilful players – are the visible signs of improvement and a clear indication of the difference between last season and this one.

But the mental work, the man management, is just as important as the drills on the training ground as he gets inside the head of every player in his group.

Warburton left his position as a trader in the City to pursue his dream in football and now the reality is seeing him reap the rewards.

His impressive start at Rangers may only just be that, a start, but he has given long suffering supporters hope of a brighter future as he sets his sights on, ultimately, far greater goals than the Championship title.

No stone is left unturned, no minute of time wasted as Warburton continually strives for improvement, for progression. He may be relatively new to football management, but his ethos and methods are well tried and tested.

“It’s the same in any business: you want to give talented people the framework which allows them to play. That’s all it is,” Warburton said.

“So if you’re in a City trading room you want to give your talented dealers the tools so that they can be as good as they can be, whether that’s customer business or banking business.

“The same applies in football. I wanted to make sure that whatever framework we adopted gave our skilful players the chance to go and perform. That’s the key.

“You have similarities in business. You have guys who come in and make the same amount of money every day and you also have very talented guys who are up and down, brilliant one day and not so much the next.

“Just like a football team, you had consistently solid performers but you also had three or four flair players. Maybe others don’t see it that way but, in my mind, the similarities are clear.”

The Ibrox crowd, and the Murray Park squad, have already bought into the Warburton way.

It has brought Rangers 38 goals and ten successive wins so far this season as they have opened up a five point advantage at the top of the Championship standings.

The 53-year-old’s messages are positive, his approach forward-thinking as he has quickly instilled a mentality and belief into his newly recruited group of players.

“It’s about man-management as much as tactics,” Warburton said. “You can go on coaching courses and read your books and play the game, that’s fine.

“But the biggest thing nowadays is man-management because you’re dealing with a different type of player.

“The guys who come from the academies are more forward than they used to be, they ask more questions. They’ve had a better education in terms of nutrition, rehabilitation, activation and everything else.

“They now ask questions when, 20 years ago, you’d have been too scared to do that for fear of getting a mouthful and a slap on the back of the head but times have moved on.

“So, when those questions are put to you, you’ve got to be armed with the knowledge and you also have to realise what makes that individual player tick because every one of them is different.

“Rob Kiernan is different from Danny Wilson and our job - myself, David Weir, all the staff – is to find out what each player responds to.”

The arrival of Warburton and Weir has heralded a new dawn for Rangers as they have brought a fresh approach to Ibrox and made their mark across the football department.

The former Brentford boss has a modern approach to the game and to management, his philosophy built over many years but continually evolving.

He holds regular meetings with his players, the purpose to analyse rather than criticise. The Londoner is no ranter and raver.

Warburton said: “My personal feeling is that those days are long gone. I mean, we all love to hear those stories but it’s a different breed now and I don’t believe they respond to screaming and shouting.

“There were loads of people doing that in the City because it’s a high-pressure environment. In wasn’t like that, though. That’s not my way and nor is it David Weir’s.

“Obviously, if someone steps out of line then we’ll react in the right way but it’s okay for us to be questioned as long as it’s respectful. It’s got to be respectful: you can’t be rude to the manager or the coaches.

“But we’ve got to give them the tools and arm them with the information they need.”

Having armed himself with the knowledge and then tested his principles in roles with Watford and Brentford before moving into the dugout at Griffin Park, Warburton is now putting his experiences to impressive use for Rangers.

His messages have been soaked up by his squad, but he is keen to listen as well. It is good to talk.

Warburton said: “I want them to ask questions. We as a group will move to the next level when we ask more questions because it shows they are inquisitive and they want to push the boundaries.

“What is my role? Why are you asking me to go there? Why should I attack him? Why should I overlap?

“The more they ask, the more they understand.”

* Supporters can now take advantage of a 25% off season ticket offer with prices starting from as little as £197* for adults, £157* concessions and £39* for kids in the Club Deck and Family Section.

Tickets are valid from the Rangers v Falkirk game at Ibrox on Saturday, 3 October and are available online at www.rangers.co.uk, calling the ticket hotline on 0871 702 1972* or visiting the Rangers Ticket Centre.