FOOTBALL has been one of life's few pleasures for Ally McCoist since he became Rangers manager, but even that is causing consternation now.

While his club has lurched from one crisis to the next as boardroom machinations have disrupted life at Ibrox, McCoist has enjoyed success on the touchline, despite the odd rocky moment along the way.

The announcement on Thursday that the club had asked the Scottish Professional Football League to postpone their fixture against Dunfermline Athletic on Saturday, October 12 was met with anger and bemusement from supporters. With Lee Wallace in Gordon Strachan's squad to face Croatia, Lewis Macleod selected for Scotland Under-21 duty and Arnold Peralta set to represent Honduras during the international break next week, Rangers have, within their rights, called for the game to be rescheduled, with Wednesday, November 6 confirmed yesterday as the new date.

Fans who had booked travel and accommodation have been left out of pocket and questioned why McCoist could not delve a little deeper into his significant squad and field a team that, in all likelihood, would still be able to overcome a Dunfermline side who are currently their closest challengers in the SPFL League 1 standings. "I don't believe we are doing our job if we take on anybody, never mind the second best team in the league, with an under strength Rangers side," McCoist, who expressed his sympathy for disgruntled supporters, said.

"You then open up the argument that we should be able to beat so and so with the squad we have got; I can understand that. But can you imagine the press conference we would be having if Dunfermline beat us 2-0 at Ibrox and we were without eight players? You would, quite rightly, be asking me if I was doing my job correctly."

With the game now rescheduled, the game with Ayr United tomorrow will be Rangers' last action until the match with Brechin City on October 19. The Somerset Park stands will likely hosts more of the protests that swept around Ibrox last weekend as supporters made their feelings clear to the board. The battle lines have been drawn but McCoist is content to focus on the football.

"There are differing opinions and they are being made very vocally," the Rangers manager said. "The world is a different place now with emails and blogs and that kind of stuff. The topic is talked about much more due to social media and things like that. I can understand all angles of the debate. I don't think it would do anybody any good for me to voice strong opinions on anything other than the football. I want to leave boardroom matters to the board. I think I have more than done my fair share of that on behalf of the club, when we effectively didn't have a board. I would hope that you would respect my wishes."

There may be disharmony between those calling the shots and those backing the team just now but matters on the field have been far more serene. Rangers have recorded seven consecutive wins, with the 8-0 trouncing of Stenhousemuir last weekend an ominous warning to their League 1 counterparts.

Striker Andrew Little has played a key part in their rebuilding process so far, finding lower league nets with an impressive regularity. However, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, the Northern Irishman is already looking beyond the current campaign.

"I am up at the end of May," Little said. "There is a clause where I have a one-year option if I play a certain amount of games. I would be very keen to stay and hopefully the club will have me. There have been no discussions. I waited a long time to get my chance. In the last year-and-a-half or two years I have got that and I have been pleased with how I have done. I would like to stay right through to the SPL and Europe. It is not up to me. I would discussions start soon. I will wait and see. I would love to stay."