Lee McCulloch: Rangers must show signs of progression in the early weeks of Steven Gerrard's Ibrox reign

You can’t read too much into players or the manager at this stage of the campaign but you do want to see the side getting better week by week, game by game.

And Steven Gerrard will be demanding an improvement from Rangers against NK Osijek on Thursday night after the aggregate win over FK Shkupi in the first round of the Europa League.

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Right before a ball was kicked, I said it was going to take time. And it is going to take time.

I have been there myself as a manager when you are signing that many players in one window and it takes time for players to get to know each other’s characters, their strengths, their weaknesses and to become a team. Things don’t just click together on the park or off the park.

The positive for Rangers is that they got through the first tie with a home win in the first leg and two clean sheets and the victory really should have been more comfortable for them.

They had loads and loads of chances and they couldn’t capitalise but at least they were creating those opportunities and got in good positions.

It is still very early days and everyone knows you don’t get time at Rangers. But the bigger picture is more important for Steven and his coaches right now.

While the new players are settling in and getting to know their team-mates, the ones from last season have come back with a point to prove.

But nobody, and nothing, can be judged at this point in time. It is ludicrous to say you can form a solid opinion on the manager, staff or team right now.

Read more: Steven Gerrard could hand Lassana Coulibaly and Umar Sadiq their Rangers debuts against Osijek

We all know the expectation levels at Rangers, though, and that is why they have to progress by teams like Shkupi and Osijek. There are no excuses in these matches.

In every aspect, they will be getting better and better every time they train together and play together. Whether that is big things like set-plays for or against or the smaller details about passages of play, you want to see an improvement day on day.

The details are fine in football and that can only be mastered, both with the ball and without it, by working together and playing together more and more. These are the aspects the manager will be focusing on in that sense.

But, right now, Steven will be looking first and foremost at winning these games and that will always be the most important thing.

He will want to see the style of play coming through, though, and expect to see his players picking up on what he wants them to do and how he wants his side to look.

When it comes to Osijek this week, like it was with Shkupi in the first round, it is the win that is ultimately the most important thing for Rangers.

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Steven seems to be a real straight talker and I think the fans like that and can relate to that because they have maybe not had that in a manager for a while.

He is open, honest and tells it like it is, as he did after the Shkupi game, and the players will be seeing that and picking up on that as well. That might give them a fright, if you like.

I think the sugar-coating has been clear to see in recent years at certain times and it is quite refreshing for the fans to have someone like Steven Gerrard being straight to the point. It will be for the players as well.

They know that the standards have got to come up and you have to get better because if you are not producing you will find yourself out of the team or away from the club.

Steven has set the standards sky high and the fans like that because they haven’t that from a manager for some time.

Rangers, obviously, want to get through these early rounds and try and build a bit of momentum but the manager wants to see things being done properly as well.

Read more: Steven Gerrard could hand Lassana Coulibaly and Umar Sadiq their Rangers debuts against Osijek

While you are progressing through the rounds, the performance levels have to rise and the details like the shape and the tactics are things he will be looking at closely.

When you look at the start to the Premiership, with Aberdeen, Motherwell and Celtic coming up away from home in the first four weeks, Rangers can’t afford to have any bad habits hanging over from the European fixtures.

The league campaign is the most important one for Rangers this season and they have to get off to a good start. That is why Steven will want to build some momentum and get some confidence from the European fixtures.

For me, they do still need a natural striker in the team and the manager spoke about the final third in Macedonia and spoke about how Rangers need to improve in that area of the park.

Last season, it wasn’t a Rangers or a Celtic player that finished top scorer and that, for a long time, has been almost the norm in the Premiership.

I know the Celtic strikers were injured for spells so you were looking for someone to step up and lead the charts. It didn’t quite happen for them so that needs addressed.

Again, when that player arrives you have to give them a wee bit of time to settle into the club and get up to speed. Not every striker will come in and just start scoring week in, week out.

You won’t see the best of the players individually or collectively for a while yet but you should see improvements from Rangers as Steven Gerrard really makes his mark at Ibrox.