THE nerves are understandable, the tension natural and the pressure relentless. It is a potent mixture and one that only a handful of men have ever experienced.

On Sunday, Mark Warburton will take to the touchline in an Old Firm fixture for the first time. It could, according to Walter Smith, be the easiest derby outing of his Rangers career.

Smith was a veteran of the Glasgow showdowns, the wins he achieved over Celtic in cup clashes and league encounters helping him to amass a glittering array of silverware over his two spells in charge.

Warburton has had several months to get accustomed to life in Glasgow following his move from Brentford in the summer, but nothing will have prepared him for the Old Firm occasion at Hampden.

Smith has urged the 53-year-old to embrace it and relish it, though, as Rangers look to overcome Ronny Deila’s side and book a place in the Scottish Cup final.

He said: “That’s why he’s taken the job, isn’t it? You’re not going to have a fear of that.

“You take the job because you want to do it. He could have stayed in England and got a decent job down there – but he’s come here to experience this.

“He’s experiencing the game for the first time and he will be looking forward to it. And he’ll want to, if he can, enjoy it.

“Yes, there is going to be a bit of tension, a bit of nerves, but it doesn’t matter how many of these games you’ve been involved in – you will always get that. In fact, sometimes it gets worse, the more times you’ve experienced it.”

It is not just Warburton who will be making his derby bow at the National Stadium as the Old Firm rivalry is renewed ahead of potentially four Premiership meetings next term.

Only Lee Wallace, Danny Wilson, Nicky Law and Kenny Miller have played in the fixture before, while Dean Shiels was an unused substitute as the Gers were beaten 2-0 in the League Cup last term.

Warburton and most of his squad have no previous connection to Rangers or the biggest game on our calendar, and Smith knows their first experience will be an eye-opening one.

“It is a nerve-wracking thing,” he said. “For me, having been born and brought up in Scotland, been a Rangers supporters when I was younger, before moving into the professional game, maybe that actually made it worse for me.

“Mark comes from England, he’s a Tottenham fan. But he’s been here long enough now.

“A year is long enough to know the kind of pressures he’ll be under in this game.

“If you are going to accept the job of Celtic or Rangers manager, you’ve got to be able to handle that part of the job. And be able to look forward to it.

“The longer I was in the job, the worse it became for me, this whole experience.

“In your early days, it’s a big challenge. The nerves and everything, the tension, got worse as I got more experienced. That part of it certainly never got any easier.

“A lot of the aspects did get a bit easier. You don’t bother so much about the media attention and things like that. But the Rangers and Celtic game still had something about it.

“There were no laxatives required on match day, I can say that. Nobody relaxes. You are not going to relax and settle into this game.

“In many ways, you’ve got to have nerves and tension. If you win, it certainly makes it worthwhile.

“I think, for both the managers, both the clubs, they’ve probably missed the Old Firm game over the four years that Rangers have been away.”

The Hampden showdown this weekend will be an occasion to savour for Warburton and his players but only a taster of what is to come in the Premiership next term.

Many Gers fans are confident the Light Blues can make an immediate impact on their top flight return and challenge their old rivals for the league crown at the first attempt.

Warburton will have to bolster his Ibrox ranks over the summer to turn Rangers into genuine title contenders, but Smith knows victory on Sunday will only heighten expectations in the stands.

He said: “There is a lot to look at. I don’t think this one game is an indication of how next season is going to be or what Rangers need to do.

“Rangers know what they need to do. It can cement a feeling, if you like. Rangers, like they did in most seasons previously before the troubles, they always invested in players.

“They have to do that next season, everyone knows that, but that has got no influence on the game at the weekend. It will be good to see how the boys that are there handle that situation.”

*Walter Smith was speaking to promote bookmakers ComeOn! as they offer enhanced odds of 7/1 for a Rangers victory and 4/1 for a Celtic win to new customers.