THERE have been changes, but not for change’s sake. Some are more visible than others, but they are all part of the new blueprint for Rangers.

The overhaul of the playing squad stands out as the most obvious alteration that Steven Gerrard has made this summer but he is as much about the small details as he is the bigger picture.

On the park, signings like Allan McGregor, Connor Goldson and Lassana Coulibaly have already made their presence felt. Off it, the remodelling work has been designed to get the best out of them, and others, going forward.

The facilities at the Hummel Training Centre have been upgraded, while work continues behind the scenes at Ibrox to ensure that every area of the club, from top to bottom, operates as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Gerrard was followed from Liverpool to Glasgow by Gary McAllister, Michael Beale and Tom Culshaw as he put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal and kicked off his Rangers revolution.

And the Light Blues’ assistant manager is pleased with the buy-in across the board as steps forward have been taken in the opening weeks of the campaign.

“From arriving, we were welcomed brilliantly here and the response from the players has been outstanding,” McAllister said. “A lot of change, you will notice change in this building as well trying to futurise it a bit.

“The main thing has been the way the players have adapted to it and a lot of changes in training method, mentality, fitness levels and the pre-season training.

“I think there was an acceptance that their fitness had to jump up and it has. Everybody gave everything every day. I can’t remember one dissenting voice.

“Generally on pre-season there are players saying ‘when are we going to see a football?’ but right from the start they have bought into it.

“I think the fact the demands have been pretty tough in the last three or four weeks since we started back, that core fitness and training has stood them in good stead.”

Supporters have been encouraged with the early signs of progress this term as Gerrard and his new recruits have made a positive impression at the start of the campaign.

But the work that has gone on behind closed doors, or behind the blue gates at Auchenhowie, has been just as important for McAllister.

“The dressing room and the canteen are the two places where the players spend the most time and we want an environment where the players want to be here,” he said.

“We don’t want them to come and train and jump in their car and go away for lunch or whatever they do. We want them to spend time here.

“The food has been elevated, the canteen has been completely reburfed, the dressing room has been completely refurbed as well.

“There is a lot of wood here so we have lost a lot of wood and just brightened it up to futurise the place. It is a big facility, it has been here 18 years I think. That quality is something you associate with Rangers.”

Gerrard has been the catalyst for change at Ibrox but it is those that he has brought on board this summer that will determine his fate in his first season as a boss.

The first transfer window is always going to be the most significant for a new manager as he puts his stamp on the squad and wheels and deals in the market.

“I think the core of the work has been done and we are looking fairly settled,” McAllister said.

“There will be a tweak here and there, we have lost a couple of players, so strengthening those areas where we have lost is to make sure we have got cover because the demands on certain individuals might be too much.

“We need to be able to rotate because if we can deal with the Russian side and get into the Europa League proper, there are going to be demands, not just on 11 players.

“That is something that the manager and the staff have emphasised and with the demands of getting into the Europa League, it is going to be 18 players.

“You can’t have the same 11 turning out performances in games with the travel and the quick turnovers. It is impossible.”

The arrival of Gerrard has revitalised Rangers and reenergised the Ibrox crowd this season and momentum has been built as results have been gathered so far this term.

Continental wins over Shkupi, Osijek and Maribor have taken Rangers to the Europa League play-off round and now Ufa stand between them and a place in the group stages.

The results are all that have mattered so far but McAllister reckons the team spirit that has been forged on those trips has been crucial for the Gers.

“I think it is massively important and it is a really good point,” he said. “I have been fortunate enough to have good runs in UEFA tournaments and the objective is purely to get through to the next round in the early stages before it goes to a league format.

“Nobody ever remembers some performances that are maybe not that good because you have just got to grind and there are periods of the game you have to see out.

“One of the biggest examples was speaking to people who have won at European level. Yes, they remember semi-finals and finals and the performances, but nobody remembers the early rounds when they went behind the old Iron Curtain and ground out results.

“It was a togetherness with everybody and I think we have seen that in all the games away from home. There have been periods of the matches where we have been under the cosh and had some really good tackles and blocks and that is very encouraging for the manager.”