WITH those Liverpudlian roots, you don’t need much excuse to shoe-horn a Beatles reference into a piece about Steven Gerrard. To paraphrase that Fab Four, it seems to be a case ‘he loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah’ when it comes to the subject of Andy Halliday.

“I love Andy Halliday,” declared Gerrard with unrestrained reverence. That will no doubt be music to Halliday’s ears. Let’s face it, there was a point not so long ago when it seemed the 26-year-old was so far from top of the hit parade at Ibrox he may as well have been busking a few wonky bum notes under the Kingston Bridge.

You should never believe everything you hear, though. Gerrard arrived at Rangers to take up the managerial reins with an open mind. This was a fresh start, a new regime and the former England captain was more than happy to deliver a fair crack at the whip.

“When I came in there was a list of players and some had ticks, some had question marks and some had crosses,” said Gerrard. “It was important to see them close-up and eye-to-eye in a couple of sessions to see if they had the ability or the level. At the same time, you are looking at them off the pitch to see what type of character they are. Andy Halliday has been perfect since day one. It was a bit of a shock, really, from what I had heard or read. His performances are getting stronger and stronger.”

James Tavernier may be the man who slips the captain’s armband on every week but Gerrard maintains that a rejuvenated Halliday, with all his passion, drive and commitment to the cause, is a true leader of men. In many ways, he fits right in with Gerrard’s honest and open approach.

“He’s almost like a captain in the dressing room,” added Gerrard. “In fact, he is the unofficial captain of this club. He glues everything together. He helps the foreign lads a lot and he’s someone who cares about the club and you need these people about. It would be naive of me at any stage of my life to judge someone with other people’s opinions.

“I like to judge people face-to-face. When you come to a club this size, you have to give people a chance especially people that are supporters of the club, people who care and will give you blood, sweat and tears. These are the people you need about.”

By all accounts, the exit door appeared to be a formality for Halliday. Now, it seems, he’s in with the bricks again.

“I think Andy, in his head, thought he was gone and not wanted,” said Gerrard. “He probably felt the new manager would come in and not want him. But from the very first training session to the final whistle in Spain on Thursday night he has given absolutely everything. I can’t fault him off the pitch either. He’s been magnificent.”

With Halliday enjoying a resurgence, Thursday night in the province of Castellon offered glimpses of a renaissance for Graham Dorrans. The 31-year-old, who has endured a fairly grotty time of it with injuries, emerged from the bench for a cameo appearance in the last knockings. It was fleeting but somewhat fulfilling. “He has followed the team home and away and he is desperate to come back in and be involved,” said Gerrard. “I threw a five minutes on him in Spain but I knew I could trust him because I had watched him and I had played against him for many, many years. He’s still not match-fit but we’re going to accelerate him to get him up to speed in terms of minutes. He has had issues with his knee and they maybe got in his head but fingers crossed he has been pain-free the last couple of weeks and he has showed really good quality in training which he took into Thursday night. It wasn't a straightforward knee issue. There wasn't an operation out there for him, a quick fix, there was few complications, he would take some steps forward, then a couple back. It was because he so was hungry to get back, it got in his head a bit. He's smiling again, he's in a better place and that little cameo will do him the world of good.”

It’s back to the bread and butter of the domestic duties today against St Johnstone in a match which Gerrard has stated is more important than those European escapades. A rigorous Thursday, Sunday schedule is going to be par for the course over the next few weeks as Rangers fight on two fronts but Gerrard almost sounds like he would like to shove the boots back on and get in amongst it himself.

“I was a player who liked to play in repeated games,” he said. “Without disrespecting training, I'd rather have three games a week than two and train for five days. That's how I liked it. Different players like different things. The squad in terms of volume is big enough now. We’re in a good place.”