AS a first taste of the Glasgow goldfish bowl, it was all rather civilised. It will, of course, be different by the time the action gets underway for Clint Hill.
The 37-year-old is one of several new faces in Glasgow in recent weeks but he is not the most high-profile arrival of the summer.
One contending for that particular accolade is Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic manager, who Hill has seen at close hand during his first steps in Scotland's largest city after bumping into him in the West End. The other is former QPR team-mate Joey Barton.
Read more: Mark Warburton set to limit loan deals after bolstering Rangers ranks this summer
Both are big names and both have made headlines since their respective moves across the border. Only one can emerge as a Ladbrokes Premiership winner, however, but Hill reckons the game here will undoubtedly benefit.
“I saw [Rodgers] in the West End the other night, which was funny,” Hill said. “I was a bit like, ‘What are people going to think if I am shaking his hand?’ I have got a lot of time for him. He was brilliant at Liverpool, which is my home team, and he is someone who seems approachable.
“I have got a lot of time for that. He is very excited. That is the first thing he said to me, he said, ‘I can’t wait’. It is intense and he is ready for it. It will raise Scottish football as well. Mark [Warburton] is a great manager as well so it is going to be a great clash with Hearts and Aberdeen as well.
"Everyone will raise their game this season because Rangers are back. The big players are coming and everyone wants to beat the big players and the big team.
“I think [people in England] will [take notice of Scottish football again], and the TV will as well. The Rangers v Celtic game is massive and that is the first thing that people look at. I can only see more players coming here and the players that are there already raising the standards. That can only be good for Scottish football.”
Hill has made the trip to South Carolina as Warburton steps up his plans for the big kick-off. He is one of a handful of new recruits, with Matt Gilks, Matt Crooks, Josh Windass and Niko Kranjcar also part of the travelling party.
It has been a tough start as Warburton has put his squad through their paces in the American heat and Warburton is confident his squad won’t get up to anything fishy as they bond but don’t booze on tour.
Warburton has spent the last few days putting his players through their paces as they combine their work in the gym with fitness and tactical sessions on the training pitch.
But the Englishman reckons the time off the park is just as important as several of his new recruits integrate themselves into the Gers squad ahead of the big kick-off.
He said: “If you're going to trust players, you trust them. If you don' trust them they shouldn't be in the squad.
"They know they have a session at twenty to five, before that they've got down time and they can do whatever they want to do.
“If you want to sit on the third floor by the pool for two hours, go and do it. Enjoy the sunshine, you've got 10 months in Glasgow coming up.
"There's no alcohol at all on the trip. The only respite from that will be after the game, we'll come back to the hotel and have a private area and they can have a couple of beers to mark the end of the trip.
"But there will be no alcohol, they know that. There will be urine tests every morning so you can see everything and check everything but you have to trust people. If you don't the whole squad falls apart."
Warburton’s side will face local outfit Charleston Battery in their only warm-up game before the Betfred Cup opener away to Motherwell on Saturday, July 16 but the manager is pleased to be getting his preparations done on their trip for now.
"One of the big pluses of being here is coming away for ten days, with the opportunity to properly get to know your team-mates," Warburton said. "Especially when there are new lads like me. It's good to get into the environment properly.
"[There have been] no initiations – I'm trying to keep everything quiet! Maybe save it for when Joey arrives and he can give us a little song.
"It's a great group, I knew that before I came. It's a talented group, with a strong mentality and a strong work ethic. A good team morale, which has been shown by them being promoted over numerous years. It's been a good welcome for me personally and I'm looking forward to it.”
The handful of summer signings were not the only new players to take to the training field for the first time on Tuesday morning. Amongst those who have already impressed Warburton is American Oguchi Onyewu as he looks to earn himself a deal in the coming days.
"It's like a QPR reunion,” Hill said after the former Loftus Road defender joined the Gers ranks. “I saw him in the morning. He's here for the 10 days. He was with us at QPR for three or four months but he struggled with injuries during that time. Hopefully he can put in a good shift and make an impression on the gaffer.
"Look at his CV. Newcastle, AC Milan, Sheffield Wednesday, another big club. He has masses of experience and it's up to him to grab it with both hands and try to get a contract.”
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