Smith backs McCoist as successor

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Smith hopes McCoist can get Gers chance

Rangers manager Walter Smith hopes assistant Ally McCoist will be given the chance to be the next Ibrox boss.

McCoist has been backed to be the long-term successor to Smith by Rangers chairman Sir David Murray.

Smith said: "The chairman did say that we would have to be successful here and that's the one thing that everyone has to remember first and foremost.

"Alistair would bring a great deal and I certainly hope he does get the opportunity whenever it comes around."

Smith, who is now in his second spell in charge of Rangers, first joined the Glasgow club as Graeme Souness' assistant in 1986.

Upon Souness' departure to Liverpool in 1991, Smith was promoted to the manager's post and oversaw one of the most successful periods in the club's history.

MY SPORT: DEBATE Would Ally McCoist make a good manager at Ibrox?

Rangers completed a record-equalling sequence of nine successive championship victories in 1997 before Smith ended his first spell in charge the following year.

"He (McCoist) finds himself in the same situation I was in with Graeme Souness.

"I was assistant manager a bit longer than Alistair has been but once you've been assistant manager for a few years, you want to take the job.

"He has the opportunity to take over here but he will only get that opportunity if we are successful and I was the same - if Graeme hadn't had the level of success as a manager I don't think I would have been asked to take over.

"The chairman has made it quite clear that the same thing applies.

"But that doesn't mean there is more pressure on us to win, everyone knows that we have to. Nothing has changed, there is no extra pressure because of that situation."

Murray is celebrating 20 years as Ibrox chairman and expects the club's record goal-scorer to take over from Smith in due course.

We will reduce the size of our squad and definitely have to bring in younger Scottish players to make up the balance of the squad Sir David Murray

"I would have thought, all things being equal, that he will become manager," Murray said. "It hasn't been discussed but it's an understanding among us. If Walter is successful then the natural successor would be McCoist.

"He didn't come back to Rangers for the money. He came here for a lot less than he was earning.

"You wouldn't have thought of him as a manager 20 years ago, would you? But He has a very strong mentality. He is bright and makes a good coaching team with Kenny McDowall, so why shouldn't he become manager?

"But if we go another two or three years without winning the league then we will all be under pressure. Celtic are strong right now, they have done well and you can't take anything away from them.

"We must respond. It all depends on what happens on the park. We have players good enough to beat Celtic, we have already done that this season."

Meanwhile, Murray has warned fans not to expect any big signings in January since the club have lost out on revenue following their early exit from Europe.

"There is no doubt this is the wrong year for us to be spending money, what with going out of Europe and the financial restrictions right across the globe," added the chairman.

"It is very concerning. Every one of us has to be more financially prudent in our daily lives and we are no different as a football club.

"I don't think much will change, other than we will reduce the size of our squad and definitely have to bring in younger Scottish players to make up the balance of the squad.

"If we don't start doing that, then there is no point having the Murray Park training academy."