Rangers fans had their first opportunity to see their team playing under Steven Gerrard on Friday. 

Gerrard already had a game under his belt as Rangers manager behind closed doors, yet he stepped out in front of a packed Ibrox crowd for the very first time against Bury.

No less than 41,000 supporters turned up for the pre-season friendly, ensuring a carnival atmosphere in Glasgow for Gerrard's public bow at the stadium.

In the end, there was no shortage of entertainment for the fans who took their seats that afternoon.

Jamie Murphy ensured Rangers made the perfect start by finding the net after just seven minutes, before goals from Nikola Katic and Scott Arfield ensured The Gers made it to half-time with a 3-0 lead.

Rangers 6-0 Bury

Glenn Middleton notched up an assist after the break with Arfield grabbing his second and Rangers' fourth.

The scoring wasn't finished there, though, with Alfredo Morelos and Zak Rudden also writing their names on the scoresheet in an impressive 6-0 victory.

Although there's only so much you can take from a friendly with League Two opposition, a thrashing in front of the Ibrox crowd will do wonders for team moral.

Gerrard's message to the players

And that's exactly what Gerrard was looking for before the game as he revealed his team talk to the Rangers players ahead of kick-off.

It already shows that Gerrard has the supporters very much in his mind and it's great to hear.

Speaking in his post-match interview, the 38-year-old revealed: "I said to the players before [the game] in the dressing room: 'Look, there's no excuses out there.

"'The pitch is fantastic, [the fans] they've come to see you, they're going to walk away from here with opinions and they're going to judge you tonight. This is the first time we're going to get judged.

"'You've got a responsibility as a Rangers player to go out and excite them and entertain them' and they've gone out there and delivered."

They certainly did, Stevie.

It's always great to see players and managers putting such an impetus on supporters in the modern game and it seems Gerrard is fully aware of Rangers' brilliant and vocal fanbase.

There are few fans like those in Scotland and at Rangers, so Gerrard has got off to the perfect start with those who could make or break his tenure.

If he can encourage his players to keep entertaining the fans like they did in the Bury friendly, there's every reason to think he'll be onto a winner at Ibrox.

Gerrard's next challenge in the Rangers hottest will be his first competitive one.

The Gers lock horns with Macedonian side Shkupi in the first-round of Europa League qualifying at Ibrox on Thursday night.

Do you think Gerrard will be a success at Rangers? Have your say in the comments section below.