FOR several seasons now, it has been a case of speculate to accumulate for Rangers.

The plan hasn’t paid dividends at Ibrox, though, and the investment in players has brought more headaches than trophies since their return to the Premiership three years ago.

Some of the decisions that Dave King and his board have made in a football sense can only be criticised, while others are strongly questioned.

But the Light Blues chairman, and the group of investors behind him, certainly can’t be faulted when it comes to backing their bosses.

First, it was Mark Warburton that was given the financial resources to rip it up and start again when he was appointed ahead of Rangers’ second term in the Championship.

After that, further funds were made available and some big names, including the likes of Joey Barton, Niko Kranjcar and Philippe Senderos, were brought on board for what turned out to be a lamentable campaign for Rangers.

When Pedro Caixinha was appointed, significant cash was directed his way as he decided to go back to the drawing board and started the rebuilding process all over again at Ibrox.

Once again, the wisdom of allowing the Portuguese to sign some of the players that he did deserves a harsh critique.

Deals for the likes of Carlos Pena and Eduardo Herrera, who is still on the Gers’ payroll at present, proved as costly on the park as off it and that era set Rangers back years.

Then it was the turn of Steven Gerrard as Rangers returned to square one last summer.

While still dealing with the damage that the two previous incumbents inflicted at Ibrox, King and Co. dipped into their pockets for a third time to fund another transfer window. This time, 15 players arrived, while another handful were brought on board in January.

Given the size of the squad and the wage bill that Rangers had at the end of the season, it would have been understandable had the Light Blues money men demanded that the numbers on the park and on the balance sheet were reduced before Gerrard was able to add the quality and quantity he desired this summer. That hasn’t been the case.

The exits of Lee Wallace, Lee Hodson, Gareth McAuley and Joe Worrall at the end of their deals brought the first team pool and the financial burden down slightly but Rangers have focused on the ins rather than the outs during the first weeks of the transfer window.

The eighth player to arrive, Swedish international Filip Helander, is the most costly yet at around £3million and the business Rangers have completed is a statement of their intentions in Gerrard’s second term.

There has been no one out, one in policy as Gerrard and Director of Football Mark Allen have done the deals quickly this summer.

As that work has been carried out, significant refurbishment works have been taking place at the Hummel Training Centre. At Ibrox, there is still much ongoing as the stadium is brought back up to standard after years of neglect and further renovations will be sanctioned ahead of the club’s 150th anniversary in 2022.

Considering the destruction inflicted by previous regimes, it was always going to take time to restore Rangers fully on and off the park.

This season feels more significant than previous ones, though, and the investment really has to start paying off sooner rather than later.

The spend is not reckless, but it can’t be fruitless either and only silverware will make the money from a range of investors seem like cash well spent at long last.

This is the best squad Rangers have had for several years and it is their best chance of success.

The way the Gers have gone about their business this summer shows they believe that too.