Ally McCoist has the hardest job since any Rangers manager since John Greig, says Billy Dodds "I know that, for the Old Firm, the title is the be-all and end-all but the bottom line is that Rangers are still hanging in there and Ally deserves credit for that," said the former Scotland striker, now a BBC radio and TV pundit. Everyone knows - or should know - how hard it is for Ally financially, whether it's the pending verdict in the HMRC case or him having to play mind games with the board to try and eke money out of them so he can sign players. I'm not talking about cash to spend on transfers either: it's money for loan signings and free agents who happen to be kicking about. He's trying all he can to freshen up the personnel in that dressing room. There are still half-a-dozen guys who were there under Walter but the likes of Davie Weir and Madjid Bougherra have gone while Steven Naismith and Kyle Lafferty are injured, the former long-term. McCoist's hands are tied and, while the Rangers fans are angry, they have to understand where the club is at the moment. They need to be realistic instead of flying off the handle at the manager. I know they're upset by the points swing which has seen Celtic wipe out their lead and establish one of their own but they have to accept that the good old days are gone. Ally is having to change the squad but there's no money for him so he's having to wheel and deal at the bottom end of the market. Forget about the times when the club paid fees to sign players from the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga because they're not coming back. According to Dodds, McCoist should draw succour from the trophies accumulated by Scot Symon, Willie Waddell, Jock Wallace and Walter Smith (in his second spell). "Sometimes patience is a virtue in football," he said. That's paid off for Rangers in the past. You only need to look across the city at Neil Lennon for another example. He didn't win the title last year but Celtic kept faith with him and that might pay off for them this season. Ally knows the club better than anyone. He spent five years serving his apprenticeship under Walter Smith, which is long enough to make the step up. The big problem for him is that he's taking the job under the worst circumstances possible, probably the worst since Ibrox was being rebuilt in the 1970s and 80s and there were crowds of 2,000 and 5,000 at some home games. Ally has the hardest job since any Rangers manager since John Greig so patience is required because the title hasn't gone yet. Zlatan Muslimovic has cut short his trial spell with Rangers, training instead on Tuesday with English Premier League side Sunderland. The Bosnian striker arrived at Murray Park on Monday and was expected to spend the week with McCoist's squad. South African defender Siboniso Gaxa is a target for Rangers, according to the player's agent. The right-back, who is currently contracted to Belgian club Lierse, is said to be in McCoist's sights, if a deal for Estonian international Enar Jaagar fails to materialise. Debut delight William Wilton (1899/1900) Bill Struth (1920/21) Graeme Souness (1986/87) Walter Smith (1991/92) Dick Advocaat 1998/99) Alex McLeish (2002/03) Debut disappointment Scot Symon (1954/55) - won six titles, five Scottish Cups, four League Cups and reached two European Cup-Winners" Cup finals. Davie White (1968/69) - won nothing. Willie Waddell (1970/71) - won the European Cup-Winners" Cup and the League Cup. Jock Wallace (1972/73) - won two domestic trebles. John Greig (1978/79) - won two Scottish Cups and two League Cups. Jock Wallace (1984/85) - won the League Cup. Walter Smith (2007/08) - won three titles, two Scottish Cups, three League Cups and reached the Uefa Cup final. Debut disaster Paul le Guen left the club midway through 2006/07, his only season in Scotland.