HE was the short-term fix that became a long-term solution. A decade on, David Weir still faces the pressure to deliver in the here and now as he also attempts to look to the future.

It was 10 years ago on Monday that the defender, then 36 and seemingly in the twilight of his career, signed for Rangers on a deal until the end of the season.

He walked into a squad low on confidence and in a state of flux, and joined a team that were 17 points adrift of Celtic in the standings as the Light Blues were left to pick up the pieces from the Paul Le Guen era.

Read more: David Weir: I don't take criticism of Rangers' defensive deficiencies to heart

Rangers had called for Walter Smith to rescue the situation, and Weir was drafted into action. His Gers career came to an end five seasons, eight medals and a Uefa Cup Final appearance later.

The task that was in front of Smith at first was considerable and it is one that Weir now confronts from the dugout as he and Mark Warburton attempt to overhaul Celtic in the Premiership standings.

The memories are fond, but the Ibrox assistant boss won’t dwell on the past as he looks to return Rangers to the level they are accustomed to.

“It’s a different era,” he said. “Five years ago, 10 years ago, whatever it is.

“It is in the past. The past doesn’t really worry me. It’s gone and you can’t affect it.

“I just think about how do we get back to where we need to be? How do we improve? How do we get better?

“How do we give these lads a chance to experience winning trophies and give the 8,000 fans who travelled to Germany an opportunity to see that again? They are desperate for it.

“Our job is to enable that. What I did as a player is irrelevant.

Read more: David Weir: I don't take criticism of Rangers' defensive deficiencies to heart

“Of course I remember it. I remember walking in to a Rangers team that was third in the league, was shipping goals and was getting destroyed because they were hopeless, basically, and couldn’t defend…pretty much the same situation!

“The goal that season was to finish second. But finishing second then allowed you to qualify for the Champions League. That was a massive incentive and we managed to do it.

“Walter had come back and changed a few things. Then they invested a lot of money in the summer, spending £10 million or £12 million bringing in a lot of good players. The next season we challenged again.

“We were successful in Europe. We didn’t end up winning the league but we had a good go at it.

“Rangers were competitive, the league was competitive and there were two teams competing in Europe. That’s where you want Scottish football to be, with two, three or four teams in Europe.”

The arrival of Weir was one of the first pieces of the jigsaw that Smith would assemble during his second spell at Ibrox and the defender would lead by example on and off the park during a trophy-laden career in Light Blue.

He was joined by the likes of Carlos Cuellar, Kevin Thomson, Steven Davis and Lee McCulloch as Smith laid the foundations for success.

The aims and the pressure are the same now for Weir and Warburton but the football world they are operating in is far different.

“It does [seem a different age] and it was,” he said. “It’s in the past, it’s part of Rangers history and it’s about us trying to create new memories and new experiences with these players.

“But it’s not easy, the world has changed since then. You look at Red Bull and what they’ve invested in their team, their stadium, their pitch, their training ground, the science that’s behind it. It’s not rocket science, it’s massive investment.

“England has changed in the last five or six years, the money has gone through the roof, China has now come into the equation as well.

“So the world is continually changing and we’ve just got to try and adjust and make the best we can to try and compete in whatever way we can.

“We’re bringing in a couple of loan players from England, you are not playing in their first teams at this minute, but that’s a way and means of us trying to bridge that gap.”

Read more: David Weir: I don't take criticism of Rangers' defensive deficiencies to heart

The years between Weir’s departure from Ibrox and his return alongside Warburton were the most tumultuous in Rangers’ history and the shockwaves are still being felt at Ibrox.

Progress has been made on and off the park but there is still considerable work to be undertaken and significant sums are required as the rebuilding work continues.

The demands from the stands mean patience is always in short supply, but Weir believes the current blueprint will deliver success for Rangers.

“That is how Mark, Frank (McParland) and I work,” he said. “That’s why we were brought here because we try and build for the future.

“You try and bring in young players and develop them and add experience to help them do that. You try and create an environment to allow that to happen.

“That’s what we do. Unless we are told any different, that is what we will continue to do.

“We have brought some really good young players into Rangers. Some have been injured, some have done well, some are getting there. It’s a process.

“But here it is accelerated. More is demanded, where at our previous club that wasn’t the case. You could develop them under the radar.”

*David Weir is the latest Light Blues hero to have a brick panel named in his honour and supporters can snap up stadium bricks with their own personal messages now for £50.

Stadium Bricks are just one of many Rangers Youth Development Company products that help fund the Rangers youth department.

Bricks on David’s panel – situated on the Sandy Jardine Stand – can be purchased from www.rydc.co.uk, by calling 0141 427 4914, texting RANGERS to 67766 or visiting the Rangers Lotto office in Broomloan House at the stadium.