The last time Aston Villa made a sustained assault on the Premier League's elite, they were led by a former manager of one of the Old Firm.
Martin O'Neill, who joined Villa in 2006 a year after leaving Celtic, guided Villa to consecutive sixth-place finishes in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and for a long time looked capable of establishing themselves as the best of the rest.
It will take all of Steven Gerrard's skill and leadership to turn Villa into the sort of side O'Neill built, but it was clear from his first press conference that he is relishing the challenge.