Rangers head into the new Premiership season determined to close the gap on Celtic under Derek McInnes, with belief growing that a new chapter is beginning at Ibrox.
Few people understand both the opportunity and the pressure that come with representing Rangers better than Gavin Rae.
The former Scotland international spent almost a decade earning his reputation at Dundee before securing the move every ambitious Scottish footballer dreams about. At Rangers, however, Rae quickly discovered that talent alone is never enough.
Speaking exclusively to Football Presse, the former midfielder believes Rangers are moving in a positive direction following the club's takeover and fresh financial backing, but insists success at Ibrox will always depend on coping with the unique demands that come with representing one of world football's biggest institutions.
"I think this year there are positives for Rangers with the takeover and the injection of funds within the club," Rae said. "They're trying to make it as professional as possible.
"There's lots there that it's going to be challenging for them, but I think they've got a progressive view on what they want to do. From all that, it seems positive.
"But it's the execution of it and making sure that it works that's the tricky bit for any massive club like Rangers.
"Hopefully they can get it right."
It is a perspective forged through personal experience.
By the time Rae arrived at Ibrox, he had already established himself as one of Scotland's most reliable midfielders after rising through the ranks at Dundee and earning international recognition. His journey, however, was anything but straightforward.
Leaving school to join Dundee's youth system proved far more demanding than he expected, and there were moments when his professional dream looked uncertain.
"I think the first year was really difficult," he recalled. "I struggled to get to grips with it.
"It wasn't towards the end of the season that I started to score a few goals and get a bit more confidence."
Fortunately for Rae, Dundee kept faith in him.
"Luckily I was kept on for the second year. That's when things really started to change.
"I was able to join in with the reserves and then even play first team in my second year as a youth player."
Those difficult early experiences became the foundation of a career that eventually took him to Rangers, Cardiff City, Aberdeen and the Scotland national team. Yet despite fulfilling a lifelong ambition by joining Rangers, Rae admits his years in Glasgow remain tinged with frustration.
"My time at Rangers was, to sum it up, overall pretty frustrating."
The reason had little to do with the club itself. Instead, injuries prevented him from ever building momentum.
"I basically missed two full years out of the three and a half years that I was there due to injury. It was difficult to get into the momentum of playing every week and contributing as well as what I could have."
Two operations followed, leaving Rae to watch many of Rangers' successes from the sidelines.
"I was basically on the sidelines for a lot of it. I had two operations to get back to full fitness, which was really difficult to take.
"But that's football."
McInnes, of course, returns to Ibrox with a deep understanding of what Rangers represents, having spent five years at the club as a player before embarking on a long managerial career. For Rae, that experience will be invaluable because the scale of Rangers can only truly be appreciated from the inside.
"I don't think anyone will realise how big a club like Rangers are until you get in there."
While supporters understand the club's history and expectations, Rae believes living it day after day is something else entirely.
"I obviously knew they were a big club.
"But once you get there, the pressure, the expectation, how much you're in the spotlight and what the fan base demands - it takes a bit of getting used to."
It is that relentless scrutiny, he believes, that separates Rangers from almost every other club.
"It's such a huge club globally. Massive, massive club. One of the biggest in the world.
"Being part of it was both special and challenging at times."
Looking back, Rae's own career has shaped the advice he now gives to young footballers hoping to follow a similar path. Rather than focusing purely on natural ability, he believes resilience ultimately defines a player's career.
"You've got to have a really high level of resilience because football's not easy.
"There are many challenges along the way, whether that's competitively, injury-wise, or coaches that don't particularly think you're the right person."
His own story is proof of that.
From struggling as a teenager at Dundee to representing Scotland and playing for Rangers, Rae learned that setbacks are inevitable. What matters is how players respond.
"You've got to really work hard.
"You can have all the talent in the world, but without working hard and being able to constantly work hard, it's going to be challenging for you to make a career.
"Hard work and resilience are two big factors for sure."
McInnes already knows the weight of expectation that comes with representing Rangers. His challenge now is to channel that expectation into a side capable of reclaiming the Premiership title.
For Rae, the ingredients are there.
Fresh ownership has brought renewed ambition and optimism around Ibrox, but he knows from first-hand experience that success at Rangers has never been determined by reputation alone.
It comes from embracing the pressure, meeting the demands of one of football's biggest clubs and producing, week after week, under a spotlight unlike almost anywhere else in the game.