THE countdown is well under way and there are now only 356 days left until the big one.

Ally McCoist's insistence that he plans on seeing out the entirely of his 12-month notice period should see him step down as Rangers manager on or around December 11 next year. In reality, there is as much chance of him departing on that day as there is of the Easdale brothers and Derek Llambias throwing rose petals at his feet as he marches down the marble staircase for the final time.

The timing of McCoist's exit, then, is unknown. He could depart within a week, a month or several months but it would seem likely it will be sooner rather than later. McCoist is owed £750,000 for the final year of his contract, and the club's hierarchy cannot or will not pay that at this point. A compromise will be reached eventually and McCoist will depart, bringing a troubled tenure finally to an end.

That much can be said with certainty. The end is coming for McCoist, the clock having started ticking the moment he handed in his letter of resignation. Few managers get the chance to shape or influence their legacy once they have decided to leave but McCoist is in the privileged position of affecting just how he is perceived by the Rangers support before his reign is belatedly terminated.

There are many fans who have found the struggles McCoist has endured over the past few years painful to endure. They look forward to a day when they can view him once again as the club's record goalscorer, rather than as the manager who suffered losses to Alloa Athletic, Raith Rovers, Stirling Albion and the rest.

McCoist did not try to defend his record yesterday, nor castigate those who felt he has not been up the job. Instead he issued a plea to the Rangers supporters to realise that, whatever his failings as a manager, he has never stinted in either application or effort.

"How people remember me means more to me as a person than anything else," he said. "Everyone will have a different opinion but the only thing that matters is that the Rangers supporters felt that everything I did was for them and for the club.

"People will have different opinions on my management skills and techniques, but I would hope that even the people who are justified in criticising me would appreciate that the mistakes I have made have been honest ones. I've been trying to do my best for the club and hope they realise that.

"As a player, assistant manager and then manager I've always had a fantastic relationship with the supporters. That's something I value as much as anything. There will be ones who thought I was hopeless as a centre forward or as a manager but the most important thing is that they know that all I've tried to do is my best for them and for the club."

Such sentiment will likely chime with a disaffected support who will turn out at Ibrox in diminished numbers for this afternoon's SPFL Championship game against Livingston, and again at the same venue two days on for what could be a highly-charged annual general meeting.

The majority of the opprobrium will rain down on Llambias, the recently-appointed chief executive, non-executive chairman David Somers, and Sandy Easdale, chairman of the football board, for the precarious manner in which the club is being run. In an unsubtle attempt to deflect some of that criticism on to the manager, the board revealed the details of McCoist's generous salary in a recent statement regarding his resignation. McCoist, should he attend Monday's meeting, will likely face some questions regarding the team's poor results, but felt any criticism of his salary should be taken in context.

"Did it disappoint me that my wages were highlighted? When I became the first Rangers manager in history to have his salary put in the accounts that made me realise that probably nothing should shock me. It didn't disappoint me because it didn't surprise me. Was it unnecessary? That would be the opinion of many, yes.

"I worked for nothing for months. I decided to take a 45 percent cut, and I then took a 40 percent cut. I'm not saying, "a big pat on the back for Ally" but there's a wee bit more to it than meets the eye. When I signed my contract for Rangers there was no negotiation. Martin Bain [former chief executive] put a contract down and I took a pen and signed it. I was just delighted I was getting the job so that's what I did. I can understand different views and opinions but there's a wee bit more to it."

McCoist hopes to remain in football once he eventually leaves Rangers and has an idea of what to put on his personal record. "I probably think top of the CV would be 'can handle management under stressful situations'. That would be top of the list. That would be up there in bold print."