There is one surefire way to endear yourself to the Rangers fans before kicking a ball and that’s to snub Celtic before putting pen to paper at Ibrox.
It might have taken Maurice Johnston a little longer to win over the Light Blues support when he went down that road but having previously played for the Hoops his case was a bit different.
Think Nacho Novo, though, who held talks with Martin O’Neill after Dundee accepted bids from both Old Firm clubs for the striker only for the Spaniard to sign for Alex McLeish.
That move didn’t work out badly for Novo and it certainly boosted his status as a favourite among the Rangers fans.
And as Novo was heading for the Ibrox exit, another player coming through the door also snubbed Hoops interest to sign for Rangers.
Vladimir Weiss might not have enjoyed the kind of career Novo did at Rangers but he still picked up a couple of winners medals from his season on loan at Ibrox.
Yet it was Celtic who were first linked with the player and it was thought his close friendship with Lubomir Moravcik might help swing the deal for the player who Manchester City were sending out on loan.
Neil Lennon, a team-mate of Moravcik, was then in charge at Parkhead but he still opted for the blue half of Glasgow.
Some players don’t have to spend long at a club to form a strong bond with the fans and that’s the case with Weiss who was a real favourite.
And the 32-year-old is the latest in our Scottish football’s culture heroes series as we look at some of the players who won the hearts of the fans.
How did he end up Scotland?
The winger started out at Manchester City but the English giants were looking to farm him out on loan.
He had previously had a spell at north west rivals Bolton Wanderers but was mainly a substitute at the Reebok Stadium.
And once City were willing to let the highly-rated Weiss head out on loan again, there was plenty of interest in him.
But there was only one place for him - and the quote that instantly won him the approval of the Rangers legions.
He said: "Celtic came in for me first but then Rangers came in and when I looked through all of the offers that I had, I picked Rangers.
"I had a few offers, including from Italy and Germany, and then the offer from Rangers came and to play for a big team like this will be a pleasure for me.
"The fact that Rangers are in the Champions League was obviously a big incentive for me. Every player wants to play in the Champions League so it's a great opportunity for me.”
Why did the fans love him so much?
Well, the fact he snubbed Celtic was a start but that alone isn’t going to be enough and he had to back that up.
So when he climbed off the bench to replace James Bettie for his debut at Easter Road and set up the second of Kenny Miller’s three goals against Hibs then it was the perfect start.
Fans naturally love entertainers and Weiss was that with his pace, tricks and a bit of swagger and they just took to the wide man.
And the feeling was mutual. “Before I came to Rangers in 2010, I knew they were a big club with a great history,” he said.
“But in my mind, I thought I’d stay there for a season on loan, go back to Manchester City – and that would be the end of it.
“But I was wrong. I didn’t realise the effect Rangers would have on me. It didn’t take long before I fell in love with the club and the fans.
“The supporters took me to their hearts straight away and it had a big impact on me.”
What moment cemented his cult hero status?
It was probably a moment of the park rather than on it. Weiss was ruled out for the run in during the 2010/11 season due to a broken foot.
And for the final Old Firm clash of that campaign he joined the fans in the stand, pictured holding a Rangers scarf as he sat with the punters.
That game ended in a stalemate with Georgios Samaras seeing a penalty kick saved and that result went a long way to securing the title that season.
He said: “For the last Old Firm game of my time at Rangers, I wasn’t playing and had to sit it out.
“I’d broken my foot and actually played a few matches having taken really strong painkillers.
“As the players came on to the pitch at Ibrox I was crying in the main stand with my friends.
“I was just devastated that I couldn’t play and be part of it.”
And since Weiss departed Glasgow he has regularly indulged in Old Firm banter, winding up Celtic fans on social media - including a tweet mocking their 7-1 Champions League thrashing at the hands of PSG - which goes down well.
He said: “I love to interact with fans on Twitter and other social media, it’s good fun. I like to show my support for Rangers… and to have a little poke at the Celtic fans who give me stick!”
Weiss also shared a photo of a tattoo with the initials 'RTID' - which fans took to mean Rangers Til I Die.
Where did he go after Ibrox?
Weiss was still contracted at Manchester City and had another loan spell after Rangers, this time at Spanish side Espanyol.
But it became clear he didn’t have a first team future with the Citizens and he moved to Italian side Pescara and then Greeks Olympiakos.
Lucrative moves to Lekhwiya and Al-Gharafa in Qatar followed before a return to his home city of Bratislava with Slovan where is currently still playing under his famous father Vladimir Snr.
Weiss has been capped 74 times for the national side but his international career has been dogged by controversy.
He was fined for visiting a nightclub following a qualifier in Lithuania and an altercation in a fast food restaurant in a group which included fellow former Ger Filip Sebo in 2015.
Weiss was also present when they had pay compensation for damage to a hotel in Luxembourg and retired from international football following an altercation with boss Pavel Hapal but performed a U-turn and featured at Euro 2020.
