Walter Smith role at Rangers welcomed by Ally McCoist Manager Ally McCoist believes Walter Smith's return to Rangers will help ensure that decisions taken at the top level are in the best interests of the club. The Ibrox club announced on Sunday that former Rangers manager Smith and retired Glasgow businessman Ian Hart had joined the board as non-executive directors. Chief executive Charles Green had been trying to bring Smith on board since the latter launched a takeover bid hours after Green's consortium took control at Ibrox in the summer. McCoist told RangersTV: "The one thing you can guarantee is that Walter's position on the board will give him the power to see what's going on and what decisions are being made in terms of the best interests of the football club and the supporters. It's a clever move by Charles, Imran [Ahmad] and Brian Stockbridge to get someone of Walter's stature on the board. I'm really pleased that Walter is back. I am in regular contact with him and I'm lucky enough to count on him as a very good friend. It's a great move for the club, a tremendous move for the supporters and, hopefully, it will prove to be a very good move for Walter. It's been well documented what his feelings are for the club and what his relationship is with the club and the supporters. Smith, who managed Rangers to ten league titles in two spells, has made it clear he will not be playing any role in the day-to-day running of the club or the team. McCoist - who played under Smith and worked as his assistant before replacing him at the helm - added: "He was eager to make the point that he won't be standing on my toes. We had a good couple of conversations and he wanted to make it crystal clear to everyone. It's a brilliant thing for me because he is great contact between me and the board. I'm pleased that Ian Hart is also on board because it shows there is unification. Outwith Malcolm Murray there were no real Rangers men on the board so it's good that, in Ian Hart and Walter, we have that. I have known Ian for a number of years and, apart from being a gentleman, he is a good Rangers man who will bring his expertise to the board so, all in all, it has been a good week.