RANGERS return to pre-season training tomorrow and it is the start of an important few weeks for Mark Warburton.

I have been impressed with what Mark has said so far but now he has a chance to get down to work with the players for the first time.

It would have been easy for him to just bring in people for the sake of it but he clearly has his targets and will work methodically to get the right guys in this summer.

He is looking for a certain type and is not going to rush to sign just anybody who happens to be available, which I think is great.

He has been good to listen to – he has spoken a lot of sense – but now he has a chance to do his talking on the training pitch and make an impact with the squad.

I think Mark has got off to a good start with Danny Wilson and Rob Kiernan coming in this week. In Danny’s case, he has already been a Rangers player, so it will not be new to him and that is an advantage.

The first thing you do when you are rebuilding a team, or squad in Mark’s case, is get your defence sorted out and it looks like he has done that with Wilson and Kiernan.

There is still a month to go before the first game in the Petrofac Training Cup, so there is plenty of time for Mark to make further additions.

It is important to get players in quickly, of course, but it is important to get the right players in for Rangers.

There is no doubt that Mark and David Weir will have been doing their homework and they will also have dozens and dozens of agents on the phone offering them players. I am pleased to see Mark taking his time rather than diving in and doing deals that he, and Rangers, may regret in a couple of months’ time.

If you look at it, the squad is down 16 players from last season, the five loan players who returned to Newcastle and the 11 out-of-contract players being released.

Mark wants hungry, determined guys and is happy to work with a smaller squad so that everyone has a chance to play and everyone is motivated all the time.

I don’t think we will get nine or 10 players in this summer. It will be quality over quantity for Rangers.

It is a bit of a gamble, because if you get two or three injuries or suspensions then you are close to the bare bones. But that is the way Mark works and he will look to bring through the kids if and when they are required.

I am all for that. If they are good enough, they should play their part and they will be looking to catch the eye early doors as well.

Normally when teams return to pre-season there isn’t much ball work for the first couple of days. It will be interesting to see what Mark’s methods are on the training pitch.

He will be familiar with the squad and know the players from a football perspective but now he has a chance to get to know them on a personal level and see what they are like in terms of their characters. That first impression is always important.

Tomorrow is a big day for Mark and for the players – they will need to be out to impress him from the off.

They have a manager here who has come to Glasgow with a good reputation from his time in England and they will have to do things his way.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be the start of moving towards real progress on the pitch for Rangers as Mark and David put their stamp on the squad and starting making changes that will take the team forward. We have spent too long talking about off-field matters and now the fans have reason to look forward to the season.

There is talk about buying players, about the games coming up and about what we will see and what can be achieved in the coming months. It makes a welcome change from everything else that has been going on for the last few years.

Hopefully it is the start of a new era this weekend and the start of a successful campaign for Rangers and for Mark.

 

Danny good fit for armband

ONE of the things Mark Warburton will need to do over the next couple of weeks is decide who will be his captain for next season.

Danny Wilson had the armband at Hearts and led them to the Championship title last season and it wouldn’t be a problem for him to be skipper.

Rangers need a leader. That is the reason talks have been held with John Eustace and, even at 35, he fits the bill in that respect. He is a leader on and off the park and can rally those around him.

Rangers need someone there to bring on the young players and help them out and to ensure that, even if he is not playing well himself, his team-mates are and are giving their all.

You don’t need to bawl and shout, but you need someone to stand up and be counted, to take responsibility and to spur the team on.

Going by what his former managers and team-mates have said about him, Eustace seems to be a good candidate for that role.

He is a leader of men and the kind of player Rangers need.

If it is not him, then I would say Danny is more than capable of doing the job.

He is maybe a quieter type, someone that leads by example with the way he plays, but I would have no hesitation giving Danny the armband.

 

Petrofac Cup win what we’ll need for starters

WE will find out on Monday who Rangers will face in the Petrofac Training Cup first round as we prepare to enter the tournament for a fourth time.

Any competition you are in, you are there to win it. There are more important goals for Rangers this season but Mark will want to win this cup this season.

Rangers will be expected to win it, as they have been for the past three years, but we haven’t managed it yet and will not be easy for us once again.

There are some good sides – Hibs, Falkirk and Queen of the South – in the competition. I don’t think people appreciate how decent some of the players and teams in the Championship actually are.

There are good players in this league already and St Mirren will be looking to improve their squad after coming down from the Premiership.

I would like to think Rangers will give the Petrofac Cup their all this season and certainly go out to win it, although they can’t take anything for granted.

They should have won this trophy in each of the last three seasons but haven’t and haven’t deserved to.

There is a lot of improvement needed and Rangers will need to hit the ground running on July 25. It might not be the most important the team play all season but it is vital we make a winning start.

 

Your question for Derek Johnstone

AFTER Partick Thistle’s Kingsley went viral this week, Neil Gray from Glasgow asked DJ if he had ever seen a more unusual mascot.

I don’t think I have ever seen a more bizarre mascot. I think Kingsley will make kids scream at Firhill next season.

If you have a question for Derek, just email him at dj@eveningtimes.co.uk and we’ll print the answer alongside the question.