Hard sell! I'll play no part in squad break-up, insists Rangers boss McCoist

By JOHN MCGARRY

Published: 20:04 EST, 17 January 2014 | Updated: 20:04 EST, 17 January 2014

Ally McCoist has insisted he will play no part in any player cull after it was confirmed that Rangers face savage cost-cutting across the board.

The Ibrox manager has received a ‘categoric assurance’ from chief executive Graham Wallace that the club will not lurch into administration again despite the playing squad dismissing the suggestion of a 15 per cent wage cut.

Currently running with a £6million budget, McCoist’s football department are poised to bear the brunt of swingeing cuts and with the wage cut proposal a non-starter, the most obvious way forward is to try and raise capital by selling a prized asset.

Cuts: Rangers manager Ally McCoist insists he will play no part in any player cull at the club

But although McCoist – who is now aware of the top-line figure that will have to be trimmed from the club’s expenditure – cannot discount the possibility of a big name leaving, he has vowed not to involve himself in breaking up a squad he built.

Asked if he anticipated being forced to sell, McCoist stated: 'Me? No I haven’t. I won’t be selling anybody. The club might sell somebody - but I won’t be selling anybody.’ 

With Rangers still burning £1m a month and having lost £14.4m in the last financial year, Wallace is now exploring every conceivable angle to return the club to a safe financial harbour.

A players’ meeting on Thursday, at which captain Lee McCulloch raised the possibility of a wage cut, has increased fears that the club could be heading for insolvency just than two years after liquidation followed administration.

But McCoist is certain that such a calamity will be avoided – even if a solution to the club’s financial ills isn’t immediately obvious.

Meeting: Captain Lee McCulloch raised the possibility of a wage vut at a recent players' meeting

‘I’ve been given an assurance that that will not be the case – that there’s no chance of that,’ he added. ‘So it’s definitely different (from two years ago) although it’s still not nice.’ 

Sportsmail revealed last week that cuts in excess of £1m were to implemented across the board although it’s feared that may now just be the thin end of the wedge.

The Rangers manager confirmed that he’s now aware of the overall savings required although the precise impact for his football department has not yet been nailed down.

'Graham hasn’t said anything specific to me about cuts,’ he continued. ‘I am aware of the severity of the situation and indeed figures that will need to be cut throughout the club.

'He has informed me that among other things we discussed there will be potential player budget cuts. But nothing specific in terms of individuals or anything like that.’ 

As for this week’s pay cut rejection, McCoist said: ‘I can assure everyone that the players have my 100 per cent backing.

Numbers game: McCoist is aware of the severity of the situation and knows the figures for Ibrox cuts

‘I was absolutely consulted with the idea of that (wage cut) proposal. I didn’t say I supported it, I didn’t say I didn’t support it.

‘Why not? Because I don’t think that is my business to be honest with you. That is a cost-cutting exercise that is up for debate. But in my reading of the situation it is not me directly who makes the decisions, so I have to go by the people who make those decisions.’

McCoist insisted he did not regret signing nine new players in the summer - even though his first-team squad have now been asked to consider a pay cut amid fresh finanical crisis at the club.

He sanctioned deals for goalkeepers Cammy Bell and Steve Simonsen, defenders Steven Smith, Ricky Foster and Bilel Mohsni, midfield men Nicky Law and Arnold Peralta, as well as Jon Daly and Nicky Clark but claims he has a smaller wage budget than last year.

Summer signing: Bilel Mohsni was one of nine new faces who arrived at the club at the start of the season

The Rangers manager said: 'I have no regrets. The fact of the matter is that I was given an option to bring players into the club, which I was more than willing to do, at the same time as bringing the budget down again.

'So I have a disappointment and a regret if the club is now suffering from that. But effectively there is nothing that myself or the players can do about it. If we had known about it, it might not have happened.

'But the fact we didn’t have a clue about it means we can rest a bit easier about it. If I was told the club would suffer if I brought these players in, then I wouldn’t have brought them in.'

Asked if others should be held accountable, McCoist respond: 'Possibly, but not the players.

'I don’t know who is responsible but I do know who is not responsible, and that’s the players and supporters, who have given us two years of 36,000 season tickets.

'I have my own ideas about who is responsible, but I would rather keep them to myself.'