STEVEN Gerrard has coped with every test he has faced in the opening weeks of his reign as Rangers manager with considerable aplomb and has already gone some way towards silencing those who questioned the wisdom of his appointment back in May.

Yet, the coming fortnight will present the biggest challenges by far of his tenure to date – a two-legged Europa League play-off against little-known Russian opponents Ufa followed by his first Old Firm game against Celtic at Parkhead.

Failure to progress in Europe will be a bitter disappointment to supporters who became accustomed to watching their side take on glamorous foreign opposition on an annual basis before their financial implosion and yearn for a return to those halcyon days.

Suffering a defeat at the hands of their city rivals, meanwhile, will not go down at all well with their followers, regardless of the fact the derby match comes less than three days after an energy-sapping away trip.

The pressure, then, is well and truly on Gerrard, who is in his first job as a manager after spending little over a year as a youth coach, to keep his side’s nine game unbeaten run going in their forthcoming fixtures.

Gary McAllister, though, has no concerns about the Liverpool and England legend’s ability to handle what is approaching.

Indeed, McAllister is actually glad the demands are so intense. He feels that Gerrard thrives when he is being closely scrutinised and when the expectations on him to succeed are great having grown accustomed to it as a player. He believes his colleague would struggle to perform to the best of his abilities without it.

“Steven doesn’t have experience of managing at this level,” he said. “But you have got to remember that he was a leader for and country for a long time and basically carried Liverpool for lots of seasons.

“He managed on the pitch and that is at the coalface and where you really manage, when you are on the pitch. That will be with him forever. You can’t take away the fact he captained Liverpool for many years, captained his country and played for them over 100 times. Managing people and leading is something he has done and that is just fact.”

If Rangers do overcome Ufa they can expect to come up against some renowned clubs from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain in the group stages of the Europa League. The likes of AC Milan, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea, Lazio, Marseille and Villarreal are all potential opponents should they go through.

Despite the players who have been brought in and the impressive early-season form they have displayed, getting results against that calibre of opponent would be a tall order.

However, McAllister, who played for Leeds United against Rangers in a Battle of Britain qualifier in the inaugural Champions League back in 1992, is adamant the Ibrox club should be mixing with that sort of company and would welcome the chance to take on such formidable sides.

“That is where the hunger and desire lies,” he said. “If we do manage to make it there are some fantastic teams in this competition. It is a very tough competition to do well in because of the quality of the sides we could be up against.

“But it puts Rangers back on the map. We all associate Rangers with big games under the floodlights at Ibrox against one of the big clubs from Serie A or La Liga. I hope that is why players come to play here.”

McAllister, who helped Liverpool lift the UEFA Cup after an epic 5-4 win over Alaves in 2001, is confident their hard-fought wins over Shkupi of Macedonia, Osijek of Croatia and Maribor of Slovenia in the qualifying rounds has brought the Rangers players together quickly.

He is hopeful the close bond that has been forged in those will help them in what is sure to be a demanding double header against Ufa and then against some of Europe’s best-known outfits if they prevail.

“I think it is massively important,” he said. “I have been fortunate enough to have good runs in UEFA tournaments and the objective is purely to get through to the next round in the early stages before it goes to a league format.

“Nobody ever remembers some performances that are maybe not that good because you have just got to grind and there are periods of the game you have to see out. One of the biggest examples was speaking to people who have won at European level.

“Yes, they remember semi-finals and finals and the performances, but nobody remembers the early rounds when they went behind the old Iron Curtain and ground out results. It was a togetherness with everybody.

“I think we have seen that in all the games away from home. There have been periods of the matches where we have been under the cosh and had some really good tackles and blocks and that is very encouraging for the manager.”

Allan McGregor, the former Besiktas, Cardiff City and Hull City man who returned to Rangers on a free transfer in the summer, was exceptional in the 0-0 draw with Maribor last Thursday night that secured a play-off place against Ufa.

McAllister played alongside a few renowned goalkeepers during his career, including Ibrox legend Andy Goram, and knows how much confidence having an exceptional individual at the back gives players.

“People have highlighted Allan’s penalty save in injury-time and the stop he made with his leg from a close close-range shot just before that,” he said. “But I thought his whole management of the game was outstanding from the professionalism to being streetwise, wasting time, kidding on forwards.

“It was a very clever, experienced performance from someone that just knows his job. He was excellent and I think that just goes right through the team. When we have been breached at the back, we have got a goalie that can make a save.”

Gerrard and McAllister have also instigated changes at the Hummel Training Centre in Milngavie in a deliberate attempt to foster a better team spirit and are hopeful those changes have proved beneficial.

“We want an environment where the players want to be here,” he said. “We don’t want them to come, train and then jump in their car and go away for lunch or whatever they do. We want them to spend time here.

“The canteen and the dressing room have been completely refurbed. They are the two places where the players spent the most time. The food has been elevated. We have just brightened it up and modernised the place. That is something you associate with Rangers, quality”

McAllister added: “But from the minute we arrived, we were welcomed brilliantly. The response from the players has been outstanding. The main thing has been the way the players have adapted to a lot of changes from the start.

“Everybody has given everything every day. I can’t remember one dissenting voice. Generally on pre-season there are players saying ‘when are we going to see a football?’ But they have bought into it. That core fitness and training has stood them in good stead and should prove invaluable to us going forward.”