The past is Oranje at Ibrox. The future must be bright for Rangers.
Sam Lammers was sold on a vision of what is to come and what can be achieved by Michael Beale as he signed up for a journey that will see Rangers target domestic glory and European achievement once again.
The Dutchman didn't need too much convincing when he sat down with his boss earlier this year. A glance at the illustrious list of those he is following certainly didn't do any harm, though.
In time, Lammers will learn more about the deeds of his compatriots at Ibrox. The likes of Arthur Numan, Ronald de Boer and Michael Mols remain hero figures to a generation, while Dick Advocaat and Giovanni van Bronckhorst have left their own respective legacies.
Lammers now has a chance to do likewise. At 26, he is too young to have many first hand memories of the Dutch stars but he is well aware of the path that they forged during times of success that remain close to the hearts of supporters to this day.
"I knew already about the players and the managers that have been here," Lammers said. "When the trainer came over to see me in Italy, he told me and showed me a list of the players and the trainers that have been at Rangers.
"They were not the worst players! It is a good list to be in.
"I didn’t speak to any of the players or trainers but I didn’t need to. The manager that I spoke with is the most important and the one I am going to work with this season.
"Of course [I am inspired by those names]. They are all big names here and also in Holland.
"This inspires me. I am proud to be in this list and now it is up to me to leave a positive feeling and to show that I can also be a good player on this list.
"The de Boer brothers are really big players, legends in Holland. But it is a little bit before my time. I was too young.
"I saw Michael Mols had played here and did good. He is a player I can remember playing for Feyenoord and he did good there.
"Dick Advocaat has been a trainer all over the world and in Holland with many teams, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst also. They are all legends in Holland."
It is three seasons since Lammers last played in the country of his birth and Glasgow is now another home from home for a striker that came through the ranks at PSV Eindhoven.
A big-money move to Atalanta in 2020 didn't reap the rewards that Lammers hoped it would. The same can be said of loan stints in Serie A with Empoli and Sampdoria last term.
Lammers has also been on the books of Eintracht Frankfurt and was in the squad when the Germans beat Van Bronckhorst's side in the Europa League final.
He was identified as a prominent target for Beale some time ago. He got down to work when Rangers returned to Auchenhowie last month and believes that early start will stand him in good stead going forward.
"I have still to figure out life, I think," Lammers joked when asked how he was finding Glasgow. "I have found an apartment, so this is the first step.
"Life I have to see. The club have been great, the team-mates good, so it was easy to come in to this club.
"It was already some months ago that I saw him (Beale) for the first time. Of course, the season was still going on then so I had some games to play still and was focused on that first.
"Afterwards it moved pretty quickly so I am happy that I was able to be here first day with the team. Last years for me was every time it was the last day or week of the transfer period I came into my new team when the season had started already.
"I think it is good for me to be here for the first day of the pre-season and for the training camp. And also for the relationship with the manager and my team-mates.
"It is definitely good, for sure, with the trainer that we have now. He has a really clear vision of how he wants to play so it is good that I have every training session here, I know what he wants and what he likes to see.
"You can take your time coming into the team. This is important."
Lammers may have time to settle into his new surroundings but the clock is already ticking for Rangers as the countdown continues to the new campaign.
Friendly fixtures with Newcastle United, Hamburg, Olympiakos and Hoffenheim will be the warm-up for the Premiership opener away to Kilmarnock. The draw for the third qualifying round of the Champions League later this month is even more significant.
Lammers said: "I think we are ready but we should show it on the pitch. Pre-season has just started.
"We have some weeks in training to work together and get to know each other as well as possible and to be prepared as good as possible. Then we should show it and be consistent. The season is when we can show it.
"It (the Champions League) is a big plus. It is coming soon already in the season so we need to be ready for the competition and the Champions League. It is definitely a big plus.
"We need to make sure we are in the Champions League. As well as playing for the prizes, this is one of the things you dream of as a kid, to play Champions League football. You should make sure that we do it this year."
If Rangers are to realise their ambitions, and see a return on their investment this summer, Beale needs all of his new recruits to hit the ground running and go on to make a sustained impression over the course of the campaign.
It is a squad with a fresh feel and a team with a new look about it. Lammers will certainly have his own part to play in the revamped Ibrox attack.
"I have always been a real striker," Lammers said. "I have always played as a striker. I am not a striker who stays in the box only, I like to get on the ball and have a connection with team-mates.
"When I drop down, the midfielder goes deep, for example. I think this fits well with what the trainer wants here. He likes players who can change positions and are not stuck in the same place.
"I think I can play in more positions. I like to be the striker but if I come down or play on the right or the left, it is also fine."
