Rangers' new chief executive has declared his ambitions to bring the side back to the pinnacle of Scottish and European football.

Craig Mather, who has taken over three months after the departure of his predecessor Charles Green, added he was ready to defend the "honour and integrity" of the Ibrox club.

Mr Mather had been working as the interim chief executive since Mr Green left in April, with chairman Walter Smith saying his work in that period led him to deserve the chief executive's job on a permanent basis.

He said it was a privilege to have been given the job, with the Glasgow side to kick off in the second division this season.

Mr Mather told Rangers TV he got goosebumps sitting in the Ibrox trophy room, and said his key responsibilities were bring stability to the club, maintaining a good financial position and seeking out new playing talent.

He said: "The vision has always been to get back to the top of Scottish football and to be playing in Europe again. There are two sides of that – having a team that is fit to do that and having the financial security, which is a big part of my role.

"I will be looking after the pennies and the pounds as we as being able to create a strategic path to get us back to the pinnacle of Scottish football and eventually Europe."

Mr Mather said it was important fans knew there was stability at Ibrox, both financially and at board level, adding that he was there to work for the fans.

He said: "These guys are the best fans in the world bar none. I realise that I am not here just for the board, the PLC and shareholders, the players on the pitch and Ally McCoist, I am here as well for the fans, and to listen to their voice and make sure we can drive the club forward as a collective and learn from each other. I am an open book.

"I am quite happy to roll my sleeves up and work hard but listen at the same time.

"It is important that the fans know that we are willing to work together, because it is their club."

He said fans, who have purchased more than 32,000 season tickets this year, had been unbelievably patient.

Rangers were relegated from the Scottish Premier League by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) to division three after the club was forced into liquidation when owner Craig Whyte failed to pay PAYE and VAT.

Green, who led investors into the formation of the new club, resigned as chief executive after Whyte later claimed the pair had colluded to buy the club's assets.

An investigation commissioned by Rangers into their business relationship found no evidence of collusion, with no connection to the current holding company.

Mr Mather, who is originally from Nottingham and runs a sports management company and a packaging firm, said: "The time has come for me as chief executive to stand tall and defend this club and defend the honour and integrity of this club and drive the club forward. We will tackle anyone with vigour to insure that this institution is portrayed in a positive light."

Mr Mather has invested about £1 million in shares in Ibrox.

He was involved in a serious car crash four years ago with his wife Beth when their Mercedes veered off a road bridge. He spent weeks in hospital recovering and feared he would never walk again.

Mr Mather said his permanent appointment at Rangers had been good for his family. He added: "From a personal perspective, I have a family and they wanted to know what is happening, 'are we staying in Glasgow, what we are doing?' The fact that there is a future for us here is fantastic."