THEY are the men who have rewritten the history books and had their names etched into Ibrox folklore. Now, Steven Gerrard is opening a new chapter at Rangers.

Recent years have been the most tumultuous in a celebrated yet complicated tale but, with Gerrard as the main protagonist, fans are hopeful of a change in fortunes at last.

Rangers are not at their lowest ebb but they remain some way from hitting the heights that are expected, from both inside and outside of Ibrox, and Gerrard’s arrival has revitalised a club and a support that was in urgent need of a lift this summer.

Questions and doubts remain about what the Liverpool legend can achieve in his first managerial role but the weight of history won’t prevent him looking to the future.

“I have had a couple of chats with Walter and we will get round to sitting down and having a lunch,” Gerrard said. “In terms of the ex-players, this is an open door for them. They built the place.

“We are here with a job to do and a responsibility but we want to embrace our ex-players. I had a good chat with Nacho Novo [on Thursday] night, we saw Sasa Papac last week and Richard Gough came in for lunch a few days ago.

“It’s an open door – at the right times. I don’t want them to be coming in and moving the furniture in my office!

“No, listen, they built the club which has been going for an awful long time. We welcome our ex-players in to come and see what we are doing and to educate the players on what this club is about.

“I saw Richard Gough having a really close conversation with Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic. That’s gold-dust.

“As a young Liverpool player, if I ever saw John Barnes or Ian Rush it was magic.”

Rangers have embarked on recent campaigns more in hope than expectation and quickly had their silverware ambitions dashed as Celtic have eased to back-to-back Trebles.

Gerrard is the latest man to be tasked with restoring the Light Blues to the top of Scottish football and his own journey will begin at Pittodrie tomorrow afternoon.

Steps have been taken forward so far this term but there is still some distance to travel over the coming weeks and months.

“I think it’s a bit early for that,” Gerrard said when asked if the former players felt something was being built at the club again. “But we want those people to get behind us and believe in what we are doing.

“What we can promise and assure the ex-players and supporters is that we are doing everything – everything – we can to try and improve things here at the club.

“The team is the priority. The environment is important. The players have got to want to skip into work to learn and grow. So we are making slight changes around the training ground and Ibrox to make it better for the players so they have got no excuses.

“Then obviously the responsibility is down to us to deliver this season and try and make the fans happy.”

If that dream is to become a reality this term, Rangers must do what they haven’t done over the last two seasons and get off to a solid start in the Premiership.

Points were squandered on too regular a basis under Mark Warburton and Pedro Caixinha before their respective Ibrox exits, while Graeme Murty couldn’t finish with a flourish.

Supporters have been waiting for the new campaign and a fresh start for some time and Gerrard shares their enthusiasm ahead of the first whistle this weekend.

“It’s just as much [as being a player],” he said. “The excitement levels and the fun on the side [on Thursday] was just as much.

“It’s different. You are not in the thick of it but the nerves and the excitement… I love it.

“It started for real for us as soon as we played our first Europa League games because there was something at stake. There is qualification at stake.

“Domestically, I mean, what a start. What a start to go in right at the deep end, Aberdeen away, right into that cauldron.

“Let’s see what we’ve got. It will be a tough game for us.

“I’m very happy with where we are at the moment. It’s difficult to gauge that at the beginning.

“Where are we going to be then? You just have to let it go and let it snowball but in terms of how we look and our organisation, we are probably a little bit further on than I thought.

“But bringing good players in, I did have confidence that they would settle quickly and be able to help the team.”

With Europa League successes over Shkupi and Osijek to their credit already, Rangers will make the trip to Aberdeen high in confidence and eager to maintain their early momentum.

The meeting with Derek McInnes’ side is a blockbuster start to what could be a headline-grabbing campaign and Gerrard is relishing the challenge on his Premiership debut.

“I was aware of it,” he said of the rivalry between Rangers and Aberdeen.

“As a player, I was obviously a tackler myself and that is where the rivalry has come for.

“So I would be very stupid to sit here and point fingers at anyone who threw in a bad tackle.

“But, you know, this is what happens. At Liverpool we had Manchester United and obviously everyone knew about Everton and then the Chelsea rivalry grew and it happens, this is football.

“This is why we love the game and we are all fascinated to see the outcome at the weekend.

“As a player and a manager, I can’t wait for kick-off and I am really looking forward to it. I am looking forward to the stick I am going to get. I just hope that we are smiling when we come away from it.”