Robert Fleck broke into the Rangers side during the dark days of the early 1980s before playing his part in the Graeme Souness revolution that brought a first title to Ibrox in nine years.
And the former Light Blues striker reckons Scottish Premiership success for Steven Gerrard this season will top even that transformation by fellow Liverpool legend Souness 34 years ago.
But Fleck has warned there is still plenty of work to be done despite a 21-point lead and insists the final 14 games of their league campaign will be a real test of their nerve.
Gerrard is adamant his players remain focused on the job in hand despite dropping two points at then-bottom side Motherwell on Sunday.
That denied them a club record-equalling 16th consecutive league win as they prepare to host another relegation-threatened side on Saturday in a Ross County side rejuvenated under new boss John Hughes.
It would take a monumental collapse for Gers not to get over the finishing line but Fleck knows the last mile is always the hardest.
And there is so much at stake for the club given they haven’t won the title for a decade and the bid to stop Celtic winning the much-coveted 10-in-a-row.
Fleck didn’t have the luxury of such a huge lead in the run-in when he helped end a nine-year wait to win the league under Souness’s maiden season in 1987.
Celtic won the final Old Firm derby of that season with a double from Brian McClair and Owen Archdeacon strike securing a 3-1 win at Parkhead to close the gap to just two points on the leaders with five games left.
England boss Bobby Robson was in the stand that day to check out Chris Woods and Terry Butcher and signing such big name players is the reason Fleck believes Souness had an easier job in succeeding than Gerrard.
Gers responded from that derby loss to win their next three games before Butcher’s bullet header in a 1-1 draw against Aberdeen in their penultimate fixture clinched the crown.
There was an explosion of joy at Pittodrie as fans raced onto the park and Fleck’s only regret is that his involvement in the match was cut short after a first half red card for Souness saw him sacrificed.
But the former Scotland striker made up for that on trophy presentation the following week with the only goal against St Mirren.
And Fleck, who still lives in Norwich where he became a legend after eight years at Carrow Road over two spells, hopes Gerrard can bring home the title this season.
The 55-year-old told Record Sport: “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that winning the league this season would be a bigger achievement than Graeme Souness winning it in 1987.
“I know the contrast from pre-Souness to winning that first title in 1987 because I’d played in front of crowds of 11,000 at Ibrox so it was a massive turnaround.
“But I just feel this one is a little bit bigger when you consider where Rangers have come from in the last three years and the budget Gerrard’s had in comparison to Celtic.
“Graeme Souness signed guys like Chris Woods and Terry Butcher, established England internationals, but Gerrard has signed players that people in England probably hadn’t even really heard of.
“That’s no disrespect to the likes of Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun but they weren’t household names when they were playing south of the border.
“But Gerrard has turned these guys into good professional footballers, along with some of those who were already at the club before his arrival, and if it happens then it will even be up there with the biggest achievements in his career.
“Graeme Souness had all the money - a bottomless pit really - and Steven hasn’t had that and I just hope Rangers can get back to where they belong and stay there.
“I know 21 points is a big gap but Celtic have three games in hand and there are two Old Firm derbies to come so nobody at Ibrox will be counting their chickens.
“The nerves creep in the closer you get to the finishing line when you haven’t won the league for so long but it helps that Rangers have got the sort of manager they’ve got now and he’ll keep them level-headed.
“The huge gap at the top means players, who are only human, could get complacent. And then you look at Motherwell on Sunday who are fighting for their lives so they’re not going to give up.
“There’s no pressure on Celtic but can they win every game? Rangers don’t have many players who have been over the line before so Allan McGregor and Steven Davis will play crucial roles, along with experienced Jermain Defoe.”
As a boyhood Gers fan, Fleck admitted delivering the title for those long-suffering fans was the priority and he couldn’t let them down in ‘87.
He said: “We lost at Parkhead in the sixth last game of the season and Celtic moved to within two points of us but we always had the confidence we were going to do it.
“We didn’t want to let the fans down in that first season after getting ourselves to the top of the league and emotion when we clinched the league at Pittodrie shows what it meant to them after waiting for so long.
“The scenes at Pittodrie but I was one of the most disappointed players that day because Graeme Souness was sent off - and I was taken off as a result!
“A striker had to be sacrificed and I was the one who paid the price for Graeme’s red card so it took me time to join in the celebrations because I was still disappointed I wasn’t in my kit!
“But for a young boy who supported the Glasgow Rangers to get the chance to play for them and play alongside such stars as Souness I will always be grateful for giving me the chance to win the league.
“And to be fair on the final day of the season when we were presented with the trophy I scored the only goal against St Mirren which was a fitting end to the season for me.
“I really hope fans are allowed back in before the season finishes so they can let out their emotions in the stadium.
“It will cause a lot of problems if restrictions are still the same so we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope we’re in a better place.”
