THE Rangers fans have been sensational over the last few years and, through everything that has happened on and off the park, they have been the major plus for the football club.

They deserve to have a team that they can be proud of and have a side that can win leagues and cups and perform in Europe once again.

One of my roles as an Ambassador is going around the Lounges on a match day and there is a real feeling of positivity amongst the supporters right now.

They are enjoying coming to Ibrox again, they like what they are seeing on the park and they are excited at what Steven Gerrard could deliver as manager.

On Thursday night against Maribor, there was a real buzz around Ibrox again and you can feel that excitement in the fans once more. That has been a long time coming.

Nobody will be getting carried away with what they have seen in the opening weeks of the season and we know that Steven will have his ups and downs over the course of the campaign.

There will be times when it doesn’t go well and there are no guarantees that Rangers will win anything this season but there are encouraging signs and reasons to be optimistic once again.

So you can’t blame the Rangers fans for enjoying themselves right now and I am sure they can’t wait to get back to Ibrox on Sunday for the league game with St Mirren.

The win over Maribor was very impressive and all around me in the stand there were people really enjoying themselves. It is a different place right now, Ibrox, and that positivity will feed into the players more and more.

The team has really come on thanks to the manager and the players that he has brought in but you won’t be able to tell anything about how the season could go until after the first round of games have been played in the Premiership.

You can tell that the players are responding to Steven and Gary McAllister and they are taking it in simply because of the people that are coaching them every day.

They have got so much respect for them that they want to work hard for them and there are signs that they will get better and better as the season goes on.

If Rangers are going to get back to the top of Scottish football, they need a top man to lead the way and they have that in Steven Gerrard.

I was fortunate enough to be up at the Hummel Training Centre during the week and had coffee with Steven and he is a wonderful man to speak to about football. He is a breath of fresh air and in Gary he has the perfect right hand man.

Steven knows all about the history of the club and I was really impressed with what he is trying to do both on and off the park at Rangers right now.

He knows where the club is but also knows how to get it back to where it should be and that challenge won’t faze him.

There have been changes made at the training ground over the summer as Steven has put his stamp on the place and it really is a terrific facility.

Anyone that comes in to sign, they will go there and have a look and there is no way you are not going to join Rangers.

Off the field, everything is set up for Rangers to be successful and to bring back the medals and the memories that the supporters are desperate for.

Now Steven has to get that right on the park and I am confident we will continue to see signs of improvement in the coming weeks.

The manager has been asked already if Rangers can win the league this season and he will be again no doubt but what he has said so far is correct.

He is out to win every game and to do their best and we will see where that take us over the course of the campaign.

Given time, and with a bit of patience by the Rangers fans, he will get it right.

Hopefully that feelgood factor and that buzz around the club will only grow in the coming weeks and months.