After weeks of waiting that have probably felt like months to Rangers supporters, Steven Gerrard will finally take up his role as manager of the Ibrox club tomorrow. There is no doubting the star quality the Liverpool legend brings with him, but the task ahead looks a daunting one for any manager, never mind a first-time boss like Gerrard.

In simple terms, the final aim will be a simple one; topple Celtic. But how he transforms a side who have finished third in the last two seasons into a team that can halt the champions’ march towards 10-in-a-row, is the big question.

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With Gary McAllister by his side, the 38-year-old will have to address many fundamental issues that have dogged Rangers in recent times. Here, we take a look at his to-do list as he checks in tomorrow morning.

1. CLEARING OUT THE DEADWOOD

A glance at the Rangers squad, and their wages, reveals a flabby underbelly that Davina McCall would struggle to trim quickly. But trim it Gerrard must, with eye-popping amounts of money hemorrhaging from Rangers into the bank accounts of such luminaries as Fabio Cardoso, Carlos Pena, Eduardo Herrera and Andy Halliday.

These players will likely be surplus to requirements next season, but each of the four mentioned have two years left on their respective, and lucrative contracts, so freeing up that money to rebuild the squad may be no mean feat.

2. ASSESS WHAT HE HAS TO WORK WITH

The afore-mentioned clear-out will almost certainly come to pass, but it should be noted that Brendan Rodgers came into Celtic at a time when the likes of Scott Brown, Stuart Armstrong and James Forrest looked odds-on to be on their way out the club.

Whether Gerrard can have the same transformative effect on some of the strugglers in the Rangers ranks remains to be seen, but if he can polish a few, erm, rough diamonds, then it may allow him to put his resources into the critical areas of the team that need addressing.

It’s a long way back to the Rangers first-team from the Celtic end at Hampden, so Michael O’Halloran’s days may be numbered, but if Gerrard can get more out of Greg Docherty, Ryan Jack and Josh Windass on a consistent basis, then they may still be able to make their mark at Ibrox.

3. PROMOTE FROM WITHIN

On a similar vein, Gerrard may look to the Rangers academy to bolster the first-team ranks. The Rangers youth academy has been much-maligned in the past for its failure to produce players for the senior side, there are green shoots coming through that may blossom under the right guidance.

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Ross McCrorie has already made the leap up on a consistent basis, and the likes of Jamie Barjonas, Glenn Middleton, Liam Burt and Zak Rudden may well follow suit.

4. GET HIS RECRUITMENT RIGHT

All that being said, there is still a huge rebuilding job to be done. The process of identifying talent at Rangers does not fall entirely under the remit of the manager, but working with director of football Mark Allen, this is the area where the success or failure of the Gerrard era at Ibrox will be determined.

The signings of Allan McGregor and Scott Arfield signify a solid start to their summer business, but there are major areas of the team needing strengthened. This is where Gerrard’s contacts book may come in handy, but a lot will depend on chairman Dave King putting his money where his mouth is. Though, while Celtic enjoy far greater resources than their Glasgow rivals, they haven’t ploughed significantly more into their team in terms of transfer fees.

Gerrard will have to use whatever money he does get wisely, but he only has to look to the other side of the city to see how a successful team can be built without spending 10s of millions.

5. PROVIDE SOME LEADERSHIP

Without being disrespectful to previous incumbents of the Rangers dugout, it would be fair to say that Pedro Caixinha and Graeme Murty failed to inspire respect, or fear, among the Rangers players like Walter Smith once did.

The lack of discipline was laid bare for all to see during the Hampden humiliation at the hands of Celtic, and while Gerrard’s reputation as a player will afford him due respect from his squad in the early days of his reign, he must ensure that everyone at Rangers knows who is the boss.

Keeping a firm grip of his players will be a key to keeping a firm grip on his job.