MARK Hateley reckons that Rangers' cast of golden oldies can help Mark Warburton's side deliver silverware this season.

Clint Hill, the 37-year-old central defender whose last club was Queens Park Rangers, arrived in Glasgow yesterday to undergo a medical ahead of signing up in a player/coaching role.

He will join Joey Barton, the 33-year-old midfielder, and the evergreen 36-year-old Kenny Miller as the more experienced members of Mark Warburton's squad, with Croatian playmaker Niko Kranjcar, 31, also close to agreeing terms to sign for next season.

Speaking as league sponsors Ladbrokes unveiled the fixtures for next season - Rangers start at home to Hamilton and travel across the city for the season's first Old Firm match on September 3 - Hateley feels that the Ibrox side badly needed experience and this veteran spine can give the club real backbone.

“If you look at all successful teams then they have strength and knowledge through the spine," said Hateley.

“It is good to have experience not only on matchdays but in training and in the dressing room. That is the recipe for a successful team.

“You need a wealth of experience with a blend of youth," added Hateley, who feels that another experienced goalkeeper and striker would help complete the set. "

You need big characters to fix things on a matchday. You can't always rely on the coach or the manager to solve the problems. It is easier to fix departments if you have experience.”

While most teams regard having too many thirty-somethings as a liability, the English striker feels that advances in sports science mean players can perform at an elite level for longer.

“I played until I was 38," added Hateley. "If you have a good platform of fitness then you will play into your late 30s.

"Given the way sports science is developing players will play longer. If you are physically and mentally strong there is no reason why Clint can't come and do a job for us.

"Davie [Weir] will know more about him than I do as he played that position. Clint seems to tick all the boxes as he has been playing at a decent level. He is something the football club need at this particular moment. “

The Englishman is equally enthused about the imminent arrival of Kranjcar, Hill and Barton's former QPR team-mate, whose last club was New York Cosmos.

"He’s a tidy player, a technician – he ticks all the boxes for me," said Hateley.

"It will be a better mix this season than last," he added. "Last year was decent for Mark in his first attempt. Now he knows a lot more about the club and the team.

"I expect us to do well again. The first target is always to win a trophy. You always have to be winning something at the big clubs.

"Reaching Europe also comes along with that. They are the targets I’d expect any Rangers side to be targeting at the start of the season.

"Whether one of those trophies is the Championship – I don’t know. It all depends on the start.

"But the team is in good hands, the players who have come into the club I think will do well and if they can add consistency to the performances of last year – because the league is all about consistency – then we’ll be there or thereabouts."