Rangers boss Walter Smith not seeking new full-time job

Walter Smith expects to give up full-time employment when he stands down as Rangers manager in the summer.

Until now, Smith has said that, while he is relinquishing his post at Ibrox, he is not necessarily retiring.

“I will wait and see,” Smith told BBC Scotland. “If someone comes along and offers me a job, you can always listen to it.

“But it is not really my intention to leave Rangers and go back into full-time employment again.”

Smith was speaking the day after Rangers officially announced that his assistant, Ally McCoist, will take charge at the end of the season.

And the present manager reiterated that he had originally not intended to remain at Ibrox this term.

“My intention was to leave last season and I was asked to stay on, which obviously I have done,” said Smith.

He gave up a lot to come to Rangers as assistant, so for that alone he deserves the opportunity

Rangers manager Walter Smith

“But there was no going back on this one.

“It was not an easy decision to make as I love working here, but I am not making it with a view to moving elsewhere to work.”

Smith had been grooming McCoist as his successor and was pleased that it had now been made official.

“I am obviously pleased that that’s the case first and foremost,” said Smith. “I am delighted that Alistair’s going to get an opportunity.

“When you work with someone for the last four years at Rangers – and beforehand a few years with the national team – I was obviously hoping he would get the opportunity to take over.

“It was agreed a couple of months ago now and I felt at the time they should have gone and mentioned it, but for whatever reasons it has been held back a bit.

“But I am delighted it is now public knowledge. I think it was fairly common knowledge that Alistair would be the one who was probably going to get the opportunity.”

Smith thought that McCoist had the qualities necessary for the job having served his apprenticeship.

“He thoroughly deserves that chance,” said the present manager.

“Normally after giving up as a player, you go straight into coaching, but Alistair had television work to do with his Question of Sport work and his TV punditry, which obviously kept him in touch with football.

“He has enjoyed doing that for a good number of years, so it wasn’t the case that he felt it necessary to go into coaching.

“But, when I asked him to come to the national team, he had no hesitation in doing so and, when I asked him to come to Rangers, he had no hesitation in cancelling everything to do with his media activities.

“He gave up a lot to come to Rangers as assistant, so for that alone he deserves the opportunity.

“But, once you start to work with him on a daily basis, I started to realise the qualities he has got.

“He knows Rangers, he knows the problems that surround them.

“If you were a manager coming from another club in Scotland, you might not fully appreciate the pressure under which he has to work. Nothing will be a surprise to him.”