Former Aston Villa star Gabriel Agbonlahor has revealed Alex McLeish scored an own goal during his first speech to his players a decade ago.
But the club's record Premier League goalscorer is convinced Steven Gerrard will pass his test with flying colours due to his aura.
Agbonlahor claims McLeish let slip he was "nervous" during his first meeting with his players back in 2011 after the former Birmingham boss crossed the city divide.
The striker admits eventually McLeish won the players over but insists first impressions count and he's backing departing Rangers boss Gerrard to make a telling one when he meets his new players.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: "I am just so excited, I wish I was there to see the first day of Steven Gerrard, getting the players running around the training ground and looking to hear his speech.
"I have been in the players' lounge before, certain managers would come and be like 'mhmmm', players are like I am not having him from the first speech.
"You can win or lose players by that first sentence you say to the players, your first meeting.
"I'm sure Steven Gerrard will be like 'all right, joke's over now, let's start winning games, you're going to do it my way'.
"And the players are going to look and say 'that's Steven Gerrard', his presence alone even before he speaks, everyone is going to have known him as a player and seen what he's done at Rangers, he's like no nonsense."
And Agbonlahor admits former Rangers boss McLeish didn't get the pitch right when he first introduced himself after his shock move to Villa a decade ago.
But the Holte End favourite admits the Aberdeen icon turned things around despite his misfire during the first meeting.
He added: "It was Alex McLeish when he came into Villa, obviously Birmingham City had just been relegated, a few players, like myself, local lads were a bit like what's going on here?
"When we had the meeting, his sort of first words were 'I'm a bit nervous here, this is a big job for me', I remember some of the players in the back were like 'we've got him here, lads'.
"That's the thing you can't do, even if you are you are you maybe have to lie, and that have that aura even if you haven't got it, just to get players to respect you straight away.
"You come into a club and your first couple of lines are 'I'm a bit nervous here, 'it's a big job', you've got some big characters in a changing room.
"That is probably something he regretted that he said.
"But after that he done well with Villa, he was a great manager, I loved working with him.
"Steven Gerrard will know that, he will have been in dressing rooms, he will go in there and his first speech will be like these players will be with me from the start."
