IF you can’t stand the heat, get out of the dressing room. Mark Warburton is no stranger to high pressure situations, where the rewards are great but the demands are greater. Now he is thriving in another such environment at Ibrox.

So are his players. If anyone at Rangers needed a reminder of the expectations that are on their shoulders at present and that will be in the future, they were given it this week when Dave King spoke of his desire to see Warburton’s side launch a challenge for the Premiership title next season.

Before they can attempt to turn the dream into a reality, they must get to the top flight and a win over Livingston this afternoon, a victory that would be their tenth in succession if it is achieved, would be another step in the right direction for Rangers. With a five point advantage, and having scored 35 goals already this term, Rangers look well worthy of their status as Championship title favourites, but it is the top prize in our game that King, and ultimately the supporters, have in their sights.

It would have been easy for Warburton to downplay the ambitions in the aftermath of King’s headline grabbing interview this week and to adopt a ‘one game at a time’ mantra, but the 53-year-old is determined to relish the challenges as he sets the bar as high as possible.

“This is where we are so the ambitions have got to be aggressive,” Warburton said. “Our targets have got to be aggressive. They’ve got to be realistic, but they’ve got to be aggressive. The players have got to thrive off that.

“We talk a lot about responsibility. If they crumble under that then they shouldn’t be here. But that does with any job. As journalists if you cannot handle deadlines then don’t do the job.

“People say the pressure is peculiar to football. No it’s not. In my old industry you had targets to hit. If you couldn’t deal with the pressure then you got out of it.

“We have got boys here to relish that, they enjoy it. They love running out in front of 50,000 even though they know there is an expectation they need to deal with. We have no doubt they have the character and the quality to deal with it.”

It has been said for some time, and by many different observers, that it is more difficult to play for Rangers than it is to play against Rangers. No matter a player’s physical attributes and talents or record in the game, life at Ibrox tests their mental resolve like few other places can.

It was not just the skill levels that Warburton was evaluating before he decided to make his moves to bring a host of players to Ibrox as he overhauled his squad this summer. The personality is just as important.

“We are looking for a blend,” Warburton said. “He absolutely has to live his life right. We are not going to tolerate not doing that, there is no lack of discipline.

“Tav (James Tavernier) has loads of confidence, loads of swagger and he loves playing in front of the fans, but he is responsible at the same time. Then you have quieter ones. When they cross the white line they change. I look at Gedion (Zelalem) at 18. He is quite quiet, laid back, but he has been fantastic for us.

“It is about us getting the balance right and we have to do our homework and investigate as many areas as possible. What are they like in terms of their discipline? What are they like in terms of their time keeping? How do they mix with the group? How do they deal with disappointment? How do they react to success?

“Right now, we are in a good position but we can’t get cocky or complacent. The moment we do that, we will get beaten. There is no set character, it is about getting the blend right.”

It was Zelalem that rounded off Warburton’s first transfer window as he became the final player into Ibrox when he completed a loan move from Arsenal last month. Midfielder John Eustace is still training with the Gers squad, though, and is moving towards full fitness and a contract with the club. His influence is already being felt by those Warburton has handed jerseys to this season.

“I can’t speak highly enough of John as a character,” Warburton said. “He is a top pro, a top character off the pitch and he wants to do the right thing and show the club what he can do. He is desperate to get himself fit and I hope very much we can see a fit John Eustace.”