Craig Moore confident lack of managerial experience will be no barrier to Mark Warburton flourishing at Rangers

The pressure on him to succeed will be far greater, the margin for error much smaller, the scrutiny he is under more intense. Bringing in the novice manager is, despite the fact he overachieved at Griffin Park, unquestionably a gamble.

Yet, Craig Moore, the former Rangers defender who was made Football Operations Manager at Brisbane Roar in his native Australia earlier this week, views the bold appointment rather differently to the naysayers.

Exhibiting the sort of glass-half-full positivity those of his nationality are renowned for, Moore predicted the years Warburton spent working in a wide variety of different roles in the sport, not to mention his time as a trader in the City of London, will be advantageous.

"Rangers have been crying out for something different and Mark Warburton is definitely different," he said. "I think it is a very good appointment. If you think about it, he actually has far more extensive experience in the game than most managers.

"The majority of managers started out as players. That was all they knew when they started doing their coaching badges. Having played the game at a decent level, though, doesn't necessarily mean you're going to automatically go on and become a good manager."

Warburton has played non-league football, worked as an age-group coach, been an assistant manager, run a youth academy, spent a stint as a sporting director and was also one of the founders of the NextGen Series.

"Mark has seen a lot of different scenarios in the game," said Moore. "I think that will help him. He has a different background, one that is based on successful business, on being able to work in a market. There is a lot of competition for players now so that will serve him well. You have to be able to get your man at the right price. He has been involved in that process.

"You also have the reassurance of having somebody like Davie Weir, who has played for Rangers before, there working alongside him. Davie understands the expectations there are at Ibrox and will be able to advise him."

Moore has, despite attaining UEFA coaching qualifications and working with the Coomera Colts Soccer Club in Queensland for the last two years, also shunned the traditional route taken into management by so many professionals when they retire from playing and has no desire to pursue a career in the dugout.

After consulting with his long-term representative John Viola, the Scottish agent who has looked after his interests since he arrived in Glasgow from Australia as a lad of just 17 over 20 years ago and who continues to act as a mentor, he has looked elsewhere to utilise his considerable experience and talents.

Having spent over three years as the Elite Player Mentor with Football Federation Australia, he has moved on to a position at A-League club Brisbane Roar which he believes is now of vital importance in the modern game and is poised to become increasingly influential in years to come.

The 39-year-old has been enlisted by John Aloisi, the former Portsmouth and Coventry City striker who he played alongside on numerous occasions with Australia, to be the Football Operations Manager at the Suncorp Stadium.

"The job is very much like the Director of Football position in the UK and Europe," said Moore. "I will manage the whole football department and handle everything from the media to the medical set-up. Having me there will allow John to focus his energies on the players and the football team.

"A lot of people who know me just assumed I would go into coaching and I did play about with the idea. But it has just never really got my juices flowing. I guess I'm more interested in how a football club runs, how you can make an impact, how you can get ahead. It is something that really excites me. That it is where my skill set lies. I have a great opportunity here."

Paul Murray, the Rangers director, revealed last month the Ibrox board were keen to create a Director of Football post after visiting several Premier League clubs in England to examine their football structures and seeking out advice from many knowledgeable figures in football across Europe.

That move has, despite talks being held with former SFA Performance Director Mark Wotte, been put on hold while the new regime, who inherited a raft of complex historical issues after seizing power in March, endeavour to restore stability.

Moore, who also played at Crystal Palace and Newcastle United in England and briefly for Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany, believes Rangers can maximise their resources and avoid suffering the serious financial difficulties which have plagued them in the last few years by pursuing that intention in the future.

"When Rangers dropped down to the bottom division of Scottish football three years ago they were still signing players on £7,000 and £8,000-a-week salaries," he said. "That shouldn't have happened.

"Unfortunately, at no stage during that turmoil was there anybody in there representing the best interests of the football club. There has to be a proper structure at a football club. A signing has to go through three, four, five stages before it is sanctioned.

"Appointing a Director of Football makes a lot of sense for Rangers. If you look closely at clubs with a good business structure and sound recruitment system, they are invariably based around a Director of Football. This kind of position is becoming increasingly important in European football. I believe it will become more prominent in years to come.

"A club like Rangers should definitely, when they are in a stronger position, consider bringing somebody in. It would offer huge comfort to the club. In football, everybody wants success yesterday, but there is a bigger picture to be looked at. There has to be a broader vision than just results today."

Craig Moore is certainly thinking long-term and is determined to achieve as much off the park as he did on it with both Australia and Rangers.