THE start of the league campaign is a day that every supporter looks forward to and Rangers fans will be hoping that this season is far better than the last one.

It couldn’t get any worse, really. I think it will be different this time around, mainly because Rangers have got better individuals and look a better team.

For me, they are still lacking a bit of quality in certain areas and I would like to see another striker come in. If you are going to challenge in the Premiership, you need someone that will get you 20 goals a season.

Read more: Derek Johnstone: Rangers need a natural finisher to complete Pedro Caixinha's summer rebuild

But, overall, the squad is in better shape than it was at the end of last season and it will be interesting to see how Pedro Caixinha’s side do in the coming months.

The defence looks a lot more solid with Bruno Alves and Fabio Cardoso in there and in the middle of the park we have got players with a bit of bite and players that can create.

The final third is a slight worry for me just now but Alfredo Morelos and Eduardo Herrera need to be given a chance to prove themselves, as do Daniel Candeias and Dalcio.

But no matter who plays against Motherwell on Sunday afternoon, Rangers know that they need to get off to a good start.

Some fans have got a bit carried away after the games with Marseille, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday but you need to remember that this side is still very much a work in progress.

It has never been heard of before that a team can finish 39 points off the pace and then win the title the following season.

So the first thing that Rangers have to look at is getting above Aberdeen and finishing second. That is important.

Yes, everyone wants to catch Celtic. But we have to catch Aberdeen first and that won’t be easy when you see how well they have strengthened this summer.

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It has the potential to be a fantastic season when you consider that Hibernian are back in the league and we will have to wait and see what happens at Hearts.

I think the league will go on for a bit longer this time out and it won’t be done as early as it was last season as Celtic won it comfortably.

They are still the strongest side and still have the best group of players but clubs have signed well and I think it will be a bit closer this season.

That is certainly the case for Rangers and the manager isn’t short of options. If there are players that aren’t performing, he can change it up both tactically and in terms of personnel.

It will be a completely different Rangers team this year but I think you are asking too much for them to go all the way and win the league. We will be behind Celtic, but the gap won’t be 39 points.

The big thing for Rangers this season is consistency. Too often last season they dropped points in games that they should have won and that can’t happen if you want to challenge for trophies.

Partick Thistle were the only side that didn’t take something from us last season but they really should have when you see how the games unfolded.

Read more: Derek Johnstone: Rangers need a natural finisher to complete Pedro Caixinha's summer rebuild

When you are not at your best, you have to find a way to win games. You can’t drop points as often as Rangers did.

The ones we lost against Celtic and Aberdeen were disappointing, of course they were. But most of the ones we dropped came against the other teams and that has to change.

Rangers need to put together a run of seven, eight, nine games, win after win after win. They need that mentality of going out knowing they can beat everyone if you are at it.

I do think they have got the players to do that and there is more quality in the team in general and right through the spine of the side.

It doesn’t matter where you have played before, the Rangers fans will only judge you on what you do for their team. Every player in that squad has to impress and they have to hit the ground running.

The Premiership is a hard league to win but there is one team that is far better than everybody else right now.

That is no use for Rangers. We have got to be up there and be the team to beat because you won’t last long if you are second several seasons on the trot, and that goes for the manager as well as the players.

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Pedro is no different to any other Rangers manager and if he has a poor start to the season then he will find himself under pressure. It doesn’t matter who you are, the fans won’t accept it because they want to challenge.

Unfortunately for Pedro, he has two of the worst results and performances in Rangers’ history on his CV already. They are the 5-1 Old Firm defeat at Ibrox and the game against Progres Niederkorn.

There are no excuses for Pedro now. This is his squad and he needs to make them into a successful team.

Rangers have to hit the ground running and I am optimistic they can do that after the friendlies in the last few days. But, as the manager said yesterday as he looked ahead to the trip to Fir Park, it is one game at a time.

Listen to the Herald Sport podcast: For our Premiership season preview, we ask if anyone can stop Celtic, will Hearts continue to be mince, and are Hamilton Acces finally going to get relegated?

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