Leo Tolstoy once wrote, “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time”.

If Brendan Rodgers or Michael Beale were to somehow find the time in their packed schedules to read War and Peace, they might let out a knowing chuckle over such a bittersweet truth. For these men can count on neither in the cut-throat world of Old Firm management. 

Instant success is the demand, a situation exacerbated by the other-worldly job achieved by Ange Postecolgou in turning Celtic from basket-case to champions in a single season. 'Well, Ange did it' might well be a popular pre-season refrain in the years ahead, but history likely will show us that it's not a realistic one. 

Beale is currently trying to integrate nine new players, including a completely new frontline into a cohesive attacking unit - and, unsurprisingly, it shows.  While Rangers have improved since a performance of such breathtaking awfulness it genuinely shocked on the opening day at Kilmarnock, you could hardly say they've looked convincing.

Livingston were very much in the game at the weekend for nigh on 80 minutes at Ibrox until Beale changed things up with a clever substitution. The introduction of Rabbi Matondo and Abdullah Sima offered a totally different attacking threat and their pace, direct running and penetrating crossing proved impossible for a tired Lions defence to resist. The manager deserves credit for this tactical inventiveness but plan A still looks like it's got some ways to go to be as slick as he would like.

Much of the criticism on social media centred around Nigerian striker Cyriel Dessers who struggled to make a substantial impact on the game. It's fair to say he's not had a spectacular start but it would be remiss to ignore what his manager described as a "broken" preseason. As he huffed and puffed before his 70th minutes substitution it was obvious full match sharpness is still some way off.  The former Cremonese and Feyenoord striker's career goal record of one in every 140 minutes suggests he should have little trouble hitting the net when he gets in a groove. 

That said, you truly never know. The Old Firm has sometimes been a graveyard for international talents who don't respond well to the crushing expectation and scrutiny that accompanies being in their employ.

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And that's why Beale needs Tolstoy's two powerful warriors. Only in a fantasy realm would such dramatic and savage surgery on his team result in instant simpatico.  It's often forgotten that Beale, for all his experience in Glasgow, is a novice manager who has been appointed on the basis of his potential. He's been the top man for a grand total of one whole season. It is certain he will make mistakes and in appointing him, that's part of the package.

It was the same with Steven Gerrard and that ultimately worked - although the times are very different. Ruthless changes across the club by new chairman John Bennett mean that the power players at Ibrox did not appoint the current manager, which always makes for a power imbalance. While new CEO James Bisgrove rates and supports Beale, realpolitik dictates that any failures will rest on the shoulders of others given it was others who pressed the button on the hire. 

Across the city, Celtic are going through their own, much quieter, revolution.

Out with Postecoglou have gone stalwarts Carl Starfelt and Jota, with the Portuguese' quality impossible to replace like for like. Given a record of five trophies from the last six you might wonder if a 'it's not broken so let's not fix it' approach might have been the most likely to be adopted - but that was never going to be Rodgers' approach.

The Northern Irishman has had a strong career on both sides of the border and was always going to back his own methods and philosophy to ensure his second spell is as successful as his first. 

Against Aberdeen, it was apparent just how much the new manager has changed. Gone is the suffocating dominance of the ball that characterised Postecoglou's team. Celtic are now far more transition-based, as if Rodgers has been influenced by years of coaching a side with lightning-strike forward Jamie Vardy at its apex.

Daizen Maeda and Kyogo look perfectly suited to this metamorphosis and will likely notch big numbers of goals and assists as the year wears on. And yet, you wonder if Celtic will look quite so impenetrable without squeezing the life out of teams with the 'Angeball' system that cleverly gave them overloads all over the pitch. 

Greg Taylor, for example, had a very mixed game at Pitodrie and was one of a few who often looked like he was trying to decode his brain after two years of hard-wired programming. But don't take my word for it, after the game Joe Hart said: "We are not as free-flowing as we want to be at the moment. We have a new manager and we have clear ideas that we are trying to adhere to. The manager has made it clear that he is here for a long time so you can't just come and snap your fingers after we had such a clear way of playing for the last two years."

The key difference already is that Celtic are showing teething problems and winning while Rangers lost at Kilmarnock and are already chasing. Pressure can do funny things, and after two games it's more ratcheted up around Beale.

Rodgers' men also have the likes of Kyogo, Callum McGregor and Carter-Vickers who are war-scarred campaigners with the requisite winning mentality. Such combinations of personality and quality is what sees squads through the difficult times. Over in Govan, we simply don't know yet if the ranks have been swelled with those of a similar ilk.

You suspect that a full picture will emerge quite readily. The September 3rd derby is already looming large. Much will be gleaned from the performances and result that day and we will have a stronger picture who likely prevails. 

Forget patience and time, managing either of Scotland's two biggest clubs is only ever about one thing; survival.