STEVEN GERRARD couldn’t have asked for much more from his first ten competitive games in charge of Rangers.

The two points dropped against Aberdeen were disappointing but there have been good wins against St Mirren and Kilmarnock domestically and Rangers are now just 90 minutes away from the Europa League group stages.

But it is the next three fixtures – against Motherwell, Ufa and Celtic – that could really give the team some momentum and the manager will learn a lot about how ready his players are for the season ahead in the coming seven days.

There is a huge difference in the team from last year and Rangers are undoubtedly more of a unit now and there is a higher calibre of player across the park.

Defensively, we are not giving as much away as we were last season but if Steven has one worry I think it will be in a creative sense. We are not getting enough in the final third at times and I am sure Steven will try and correct that.

Overall, though, it has been a really impressive start and the win over Ufa on Thursday night has given Rangers a chance to get back into the group stage of a European competition.

The clean sheet at Ibrox was important and if Rangers score over in Russia I think the tie is finished. It is a great opportunity.

After what the club has gone through over the last few years, it would be terrific to qualify and just getting there would be wonderful for the supporters.

If we can get through in Russia next Thursday, what a lift that would give everyone ahead of the big one, the one that we have all been waiting for at Parkhead on Sunday.

The only bonus going into the Old Firm is that Celtic will be playing – albeit at home – on the Thursday night as well so they have that to contend with.

It is fine beating some of the teams that we have played so far this season, but we haven’t played Celtic yet. Plus, it is away from home.

Every game that you play for Rangers is a big, big game and you have to win it and these next three will tell the manager quite a lot about his players.

Can they win a tricky fixture at Fir Park and then follow it up in Europe? Then can they come back from a long trip to Russia and beat their biggest rivals on their own ground?

But, as the manager will be saying to the players, the next game is always the most important one and nobody will be looking beyond Motherwell right now.

They will know exactly what to expect against Stephen Robinson’s side and then you face a completely different challenge in the return leg against Ufa.

Ever since Steven came in as manager, it has all been positive for Rangers and the momentum has built and built and built over the weeks.

You can see the confidence in the team growing all the time and they are going into games thinking ‘we are going to win this. If we are together and play well, we are a good side.’

It is an exciting time to be a Rangers player right now and you can see that they are all enjoying themselves because they are playing with a smile on their face and playing for a team that are doing well.

There will be downs for the manager to deal with as well as the ups but he will want to keep that feelgood factor going for as long as possible.

The supporters have waited a long time to have a team like this to watch and have a start to the season like this so they are loving it as well, and rightly so.

The last thing the players want to do now is let the fans down over the next few days. They are on a high, and they have to stay there.