THE dossier was compiled quickly, the evidence clutched in the hands of Ally McCoist.

The Rangers manager wafted it like a baton in front of the press. The agenda of the day was dominated by the 160 illegal betting charges placed against Ian Black, the Rangers midfielder. The alleged offences stretch over a period dating from March 4, 2006, to July 28, 2013, during which time Black also played for Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Hearts.

McCoist said of his dossier: "This is a list a list of 10s and 10s and 10s of footballing people involved in the game who all stick coupons on and have an honest football bet. Our boys gave me that in 10 minutes. I'm obviously not going to start naming names as that would be ridiculous. But all I'm trying to say to everybody is, if we all need to sit down, whether that's the SFA, the players' union, Ladbrokes, whoever, we need to get around a table and get the whole thing sorted out. That's all I'm saying on it."

He was, of course, pushed to comment further, particularly on the allegation Black had bet against his own team on three occasions. This is the nub of the matter to those who are hardly appalled by the disclosure that footballers place a coupon on the weekend. However, claims that any player would bet against his own side take the matter into dangerous ground. McCoist said of these specific charges against Black: "I know it's in the hands of his lawyer and the PFA [Scotland] lawyer so I can't comment on it." He added that a club investigation was "ongoing". McCoist also said he had tried, without success, to contact a Ladbrokes director to gain further information.

He added of the charges against Black that range back seven years: "If you are asking me why it wasn't done after his first bet in 2006, I don't know the answer to that."

The Rangers manager is determined to maintain "a business as usual" stance as Black has until Monday to answer the charges. The 28-year-old player will feature in McCoist's plans for this evening's SPFL League 1 encounter with Airdrieonians at the Excelsior. "He's fine. He's trained the last couple of days and I've been delighted with his form since the start of the season. Hopefully that will continue," said McCoist of his player.

"I'm very hopeful Ian Black will continue his good form against Airdrie because it's been very good. Make no mistake about it, a lot of people have been scrutinising him after last season but I felt there were one or two reasons for that. He came with a double hernia and didn't get a proper pre-season. He is now fit, he's got pre-season training under his belt and I think one or two of the better players we've brought in have helped him."

Lee McCulloch, the Rangers captain, also insisted Black had not been ostracised by his team-mates. "He's one of the boys, definitely. Always will be," he said.

McCoist, meanwhile, has to juggle his resources for tonight's match with the transfer embargo running down. He said of his trialists: "It's getting the timing right. If we play Nicky Law and Jon Daly again, for example on Friday, it means that they can't play the following week against East Fife, so you've got an option of playing Cammy Bell and Nicky Clark."

In another incident-packed week for the Rangers manager, McCoist was asked about his feelings about the departure of Charles Green, the former chief executive with whom he clashed spectacularly earlier in the season. "That's a board matter and they have made their decision," said McCoist of Green's dismissal as a consultant. "It would be wrong for me to comment on a decision that the board has made. Obviously I stand by anything the board does and that will always be the case."

The prospect of an extraordinary general meeting did not discomfit the Rangers manager unduly, although it transpired later in the day that such an outcome had been stymied. "I would like to avoid an EGM because it would save money, but if we need to have one we need to have one," he said.

McCoist emphasised he was not dismayed by the pressures of an extraordinary time at Ibrox. "You have to handle whatever is thrown at you. Every day brings something different. It doesn't wear me down, not at all," he said. "I enjoy my job. I enjoy it most when I'm at the training ground or watching my team, but I understand everything else is part and parcel of it."

The boardroom wrangling shows no sign of abating and McCoist said: "I think we are all bored by it to a certain degree and, from my point of view, I just need to concentrate on the football. That's what we're all looking forward to. It's up to the boys on the board to get themselves sorted out, my job is to get a winning team on the park and that's all I want to be concerned with."

The loss against Forfar Athletic in the Scottish League Cup has been followed by a period of stability on the pitch, even as the rows in the boardroom have rumbled on with moves being made to replace incumbent directors. McCoist added: "There's never been a dull moment." No one is betting on that changing any time soon.