Rangers: Derek McInnes era making fans less afraid of failure?

Halliday said McInnes “knows the pressure cooker he’s stepping into”. It will be something he hasn’t experienced in the dugout before.

Expectations may be high at Aberdeen and Hearts but the relentless need to win at the Old Firm is on another level.

As a former Rangers player who grew up supporting the club, he will be aware of that, although he still needs to convince some fans that he has what it takes to lead the team back to consistently winning major honours.

An unknown quantity in Europe, having only managed in the qualifiers, he will need to navigate two ties to reach the Europa League proper, where Rangers have excelled in recent years.

But it is domestic pressure that his predecessors who have succeeded Gerrard have shown signs of struggling with, whether it means dragging the team into title contention and falling to the final hurdle or failing to mount a serious challenge.

On other occasions, the reality is that they are competing against a Celtic side boasting superior spending power and quality.

The financial rationale has calmed somewhat after the club was taken over by a US-based consortium, who now face a potentially defining season, spending an estimated £40m last season.

Despite the big support, Martin immediately put himself on the back foot with an opening day draw at Motherwell last August.

Twelve months ago, Philip Clement did the same with a draw at Hearts in his first full season opener. A year before that, Michael Beale lost to Kilmarnock.

A positive start to Friday’s Premiership curtain-raiser at Dundee United is vital for McInnes as excuses begin to dry up.

Rangers play six league games before traveling to Celtic in their first Old Firm encounter of the campaign. Halliday believes Rangers need to be flawless in every one of them.

“There have been many occasions in the past where Rangers have gone to the Old Firm early in the season feeling they had to win,” he added.

“It’s imperative that they win every game so far this year.”