Ally McCoist vows to fight on and rebuild Rangers RANGERS manager Ally McCoist last night vowed that his team would come back stronger following yesterday's historic vote for the Ibrox club to play in the fourth tier of Scottish football. The 30 clubs of the Scottish Football League voted 25-5 in favour of entering the Ibrox side into the Third Division. The 30 SFL teams were voting on whether Charles Green's newco Rangers should enter the league and which division they should be placed in. The Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football Association were hopeful Rangers would be parachuted into the First Division, with SFA chief executive Stewart Regan claiming that putting the Ibrox club into the Third Division would bring financial catastrophe and a "slow, lingering death" of the game. However, McCoist said he fully accepted the decision of the SFL to allow the side to play in the Third Division. He said: "Clearly, starting again from the bottom league is not ideal and makes the task of rebuilding Rangers a longer one but the SFL was placed in an impossible situation and I respect its decision. "I fully supported the fans" views that starting again in Division Three maintains the sporting integrity that the SPL clubs were so keen on.The SPL clubs and the SFA have made their positions clear over the last few weeks and it remains to be seen what the long-term effects of their decisions will be. Rangers has been severely punished for the actions of some individuals who previously ran the club and it will take time for us to recover but we will come back stronger thanks to the loyalty of the fans and the commitment of everyone at Ibrox who are working tirelessly to bring stability and success back to Rangers. Green added: "We are grateful to be accepted as members of the SFL and accept their decision to vote us into Division Three. It is a matter of regret for all of us involved with Rangers that the issues surrounding the club resulted in the SFL and its members being placed in a very difficult position not of their own making. "Rangers has been handed the ultimate punishment of starting again from the bottom of the leagues but there is an overwhelming feeling among fans and within the club of "wiping the slate clean" as a club free of sanctions. The people who brought shame on this great club are no longer part of it and everyone at Rangers is focused on rebuilding the club on top of a solid financial foundation. SFL chief executive David Longmuir said the "only acceptable position" was for Rangers to go into the third division. He said: "I'm comfortable today that the Scottish Football League made a very, very decisive decision that was based on sporting fairness and I think the Scottish Football League were in the right place to make that decision." However, some concerns were tonight raised about the practicalities of Rangers playing against the likes of Annan Athletic and Peterhead in the lowest league. Chief Superintendent David O'Connor, the president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, commented: "There will be an issue with policing."