Rangers chairman Dave King has said he believes the club are now within "tangible reach of becoming the dominant force in Scottish football".

King made the claim in a letter to supporters as he invited season ticket renewals at Ibrox, and confirmed a 5% price rise.

He said he had seen significant progress under Steven Gerrard this season but underlined the expectation that silverware must follow.

Rangers are currently in second place in the Premiership, reached the semi-finals of the League Cup and the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup with city rivals Celtic on course for a third successive domestic treble.

But King pointed to Europa League qualification and a stronger playing squad as indication that the club was moving forward and said the management team were aware that they "must win titles and cups".

"It was never going to be easy and it is extremely gratifying to have witnessed the progress that has been made over the last year," King said. "We are now within tangible reach of Rangers becoming the dominant force in Scottish football again.

"Much of the progress on the pitch can be attributed to Mark Allen, Steven Gerrard and their respective management teams. Turning to a young manager was a risk but it was one that Mark and the board felt we should take because of Steven Gerrard's football pedigree."

Praising Gerrard for guiding the team into the Europa League group stage, he highlighted periods of success but said that the team had to show more consistency to succeed.

"The inconsistency that inevitably comes with another new management team and a new group of players was also evident," he said. "We saw periods where we were rightly regarded as title contenders, followed by periods of varying quality.

"However, despite these periods of inconsistency it is clear that the playing squad is significantly stronger than in recent seasons and, importantly for future transfer activity, the overall value of the squad has greatly increased.

"This is a tribute to the work that Mark, Steven and their management teams have done to improve the process behind player recruitment and their overhaul of the training methods and the general wellbeing of the football squad at all levels and age groups.

"The team requires a further upgrade and the board will continue to back Mark and Steven, who fully understand that Rangers must win titles and cups and plans are already in place for recruitment in the summer window."