AS a former Rangers player, Mark Hateley has watched on with satisfaction while the Light Blues have progressed under Steven Gerrard.

As a current Rangers employee, he has seen at first hand what impact Gerrard has made at Ibrox.

When Gerrard reflects on his first campaign in the dugout, he will look back with pride at the European run and satisfaction at Rangers’ improvements in the Premiership.

But there will also be feelings of what might have been and a frustration that the positives have not been accompanied by silverware.

The arrival of Gerrard last summer was a much-needed boost to a support that had become disillusioned and disheartened after years of failure. As Hateley, now a club ambassador and key figure behind the scenes at Ibrox, knows, it also had an impact off the field as well.

“I have a good working relationship with everybody, but being a former player as well I get to see what is happening up there,” Hateley said.

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“It is total professionalism, back to how we used to be. That needed to be implemented and the overflow from that comes down to Ibrox and all the guys and girls that work here.

“We all work to a professionalism that is expected of Rangers and that has come through Steven and the way he operates, and the way that Mark Allen works. Everything is 100 per cent professional and to the highest standards. Back in the day when I was playing here and we were on the dizzy heights of winning, winning and winning, maybe we took that a little bit for granted.

“Now, to get back to where we need to get to, we need to work really, really hard to maintain that effect off the field so we can maintain it on the field. It is not the other way round.

“We have a plan in place, which Mark has put together, and everybody is singing from the same hymn sheet, which is great.

“We are all clear about what is expected and where we want to be.

“That is why I say we are probably ahead of that because of what has happened this year. It is all a learning process, but that has come very quickly with the demands that Steven and Mark have put on the players.”

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The appointment of Gerrard was seen as a risk for Rangers, a gamble at a time when they couldn’t afford one.

He will end the season with no silverware to show for his efforts, but there is a belief amongst supporters that Rangers are on the right track.

After watching from afar and seeing Gerrard up close, that optimism is shared by Hateley.

“It is about being brutally honest with the players,” Hateley said. “To succeed as a player, you need to be told the truth. Sometimes people don’t like the truths and don’t take it, but that has always been my way of thinking and dealing with players.

“Anybody, in any walk of life, you need to know what is happening, you need to know if you are not doing your job so that you can improve and get better, how to pick it up.

“I think Steven, Mark, all the guys around them, have got that element. It is such a good place to be.

“There was an aspect of inexperience going into his first job, but good businessmen surround themselves with smart people, of course they do. Steven did the same and he has a smart team around him to help him.

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“He will have learned a lot of things this season and he will tell you that himself. But the thing about him is that he will benefit from that experience and learn from it, that is why he was a great player.

“You make mistakes, you learn from the mistakes and you build that onto your character to take you to the next level again. He did that all through his playing career. He captained the side, both Liverpool and England, from the park and was hugely capable and successful. Now, he is doing it from the sidelines.”

The challenge now for Gerrard and Allen, the Director of Football, is to build on the foundations that have been laid down this season.

The summer activity will determine Rangers’ chances of success. There will be no major overhaul this time around, though, as Gerrard eyes crucial additions in key areas.

Hateley said: “Working together, they have had some incredible performances this year after bringing so many players together, 18 or 19, in one season. That is why I say we are ahead of where we should be, because that shouldn’t be happening.

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“Normally you put four or five players into a team and it is hard to get them to gel together as quickly as we have. It is a good place to be and next season will be an even better place.

“Hopefully we will get the three or four players that I think we need, of that next level, to sprinkle into the team and that will bring the group up a level again. It will create a more consistent environment to be working in and hopefully it will be a successful one for Rangers.”

*The Rangers Youth Development Company re-launched Rangers Pools recently and fans can sign up now at www.rangerspools.com. Profits from this latest RYDC venture - in partnership with the Football Pools – will be donated back to Rangers exclusively for the maintenance and upkeep of Ibrox. For full details visit www.rydc.co.uk or call 0141 427 4919.