Life at Rangers is very rarely dull. This is a phrase I have typed in this very column all too many times already this season so far.

Not many pundits saw this one coming but it also doesn’t need to be the disaster some are predicting and others hoping for.

Steven Gerrard’s departure took me by surprise for the timing only, but to say it wasn’t expected would be folly. We all knew he was destined for the Premier League and he has given us three and a half years of service, all away from his young family. I have absolutely no complaints with that being his priority in this move home - grabbing the odd night here and there is no way to live. On the other hand, if he was beginning to think he has taken this squad as far as he can, whether we believe it or not, then he is doing the right thing for everyone.

I said earlier in the week that winning the Championship and completing that journey gives him the right to decide when it’s right for him, that was his whole aim and he achieved it. That’s not popular and there is anger at the timing, but it’s football and I don’t have any time to hate or wish him ill.

READ MORE: Steven Gerrard is a remarkable man but in time will look back on his Rangers exit with regret

It’s the club I love and Gerrard, and his team, were simply guests here guiding it. The timing will rankle with some but moves in football rarely suit anyone bar the ones making the decision. It’s not as if he is leaving us in the depths of despair, the problem is merely what is about to happen in the fixture list.

55 and last season's league performance will remain, and will always be, the stuff of legendary status. I’m not saying they are legends, but the achievement certainly was and for that I will always be thankful and grateful.

However, if we are honest, and in this column, I have always tried to be, then the football hasn’t been good this season and I have often written about patchy form. I wrote about hopefully clicking back into top gear but the possibility is they simply hit a brick wall, I have seen it happen to many before him.

A change doesn’t have to be a negative but what it does have to be is as quick and as seamless as possible. That’s the problem with the timing and why so many are angry, we are about to hit the most important section of our season with the cup semi-final, Europe and a run of away games which includes trips to Livi, Hibs, Hearts, Aberdeen and Celtic.

We can’t afford to rush it and get it wrong, but we can’t afford to wait for months either.

The good news is the club already have a shortlist and will quickly move to contact those on it. The choice for me is pretty obvious and certainly amongst the supporters, a favourite has emerged in a certain Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Gio has made it clear he also wants the job but I’m certain he won’t be the only one. A lot has changed since he left but the traditions and demands of the club wouldn’t be a surprise to him. He’s been there, bought the T-Shirt and won things, so he gets it and immediately becomes a fans early favourite because of it.

I have no doubts he will be on the list somewhere but just where is anyone's guess. Ross Wilson was aware this moment could potentially arise and his whole job is to be ready for it when it does. The positive thing is that has already been done and a shortlist (as above and without repeating myself) is ready to go.

What the new boss will inherit is a squad who are top of the league, in a cup semi-final competition and one win away from potentially qualifying from their European group. The other positive is there is also a massive amount of potential for them to play much better football. We are actually being left in a positive place with a squad that has options and assets within it.

Rangers are an exciting prospect for any manager, because an available job in November anywhere in world football is usually a club in crisis. Rangers are not and even if you want to look at it realistically and say transfer funds may be limited, there is a lot of potential to wheel and deal which many managers enjoy. There is also an infrastructure at the club with Ross Wilson and the possibility to bring an entire coaching staff.

READ MORE: The Ross Wilson Rangers succession plan now set in motion to replace Steven Gerrard

From that point of view, it’s a dream opportunity and I remain confident the candidates will be vast. But for me I’m trying hard not to put all my eggs in the GVB basket.

Success at Feyenoord and a year of learning at Man City with Pep Guardiola isn’t exactly a poor CV to have and his actual football playing pedigree rivals anyone in the hot seat before him.

But what will be will be and the only thing now is that this club moves forward quickly. There is no time to wallow and there is no time to waste.

Thank you for everything Steven and 55 was as special as any championships in my lifetime, arguably even the biggest, but that is now consigned to the history books.

Time for a new era, a new legacy and a new philosophy, whether it is a former son leading the way or not.

This is Rangers and bigger people have left through those famous doors before. Part of the excitement is that just as big names may be arriving through it and I can’t help but hope it has a "van" in it somewhere.