I CAN'T say for sure whether the Rangers board will act this week to resolve the Ally McCoist situation, but knowing Mike Ashley I suspect they probably will.

He is a ruthless businessman who doesn't like getting beaten by anybody. He has gone up against the Newcastle fans on a number of occasions and he just doesn't budge. That is where McCoist is going to find it hard.

It is like military strategy in there just now. The Rangers board have gone quiet, obviously planning their next move. But I am sure they will find a way to get Ally out sooner or later. For me, the only way back for him now is if the board changes again.

I don't think Ashley or the Easdale brothers want him at the club. Ally has clearly found that out and begun thinking about the best way to get out without being seen to walk away.

By stating his intent to resign at the end of his 12-month notice period, he put the ball firmly in the club's court. Other managers have said they will leave a club in 12 months' time, but that tends to be when things have been going swimmingly. And even then it doesn't always tend to work out.

But this one is different - McCoist knows the board don't want him, but they can't afford to sack him. It is easy for people to say, "you are a Rangers legend and you have plenty of money, so you should just walk away without any pay-off, and show how loyal you are to the club". But in my opinion it is a hard one to ask of anybody.

I think it would be very difficult to work in the situation Ally is in and that he will be hoping the club will meet him halfway. Pay me half and I will go. He is saying I am willing to give a bit, but at the moment it isn't clear whether the club are also willing to give a bit.

In the end I think Ashley will have to come up with the cash to pay Ally off, but I don't blame him for putting the board in this position right now. I know his time as manager hasn't been straightforward but after all he has done for the club Ally doesn't deserve to be treated the way he is being treated.

Why should Ally just say, "alright then, I'll just walk away for nothing and let you get what you want". If I was working for an employer who wanted me out for nothing, I might be tempted to do the same as he has.

There is no doubt that things like Derek Llambias' redundancy programme have helped Ally make his mind up. First it was administrative staff, then the manager's secretary, now it looks like academy director Jimmy Sinclair will be next to go. Who knows whether the likes of Kenny McDowall and Jim Stewart will be targeted too? Ally is shrewd so he is obviously sought advice before making his decision.

The club's agm is approaching, with the latest figures saying they still need an input of £8 million just to see out the season, but all of that is for another day.

The McCoist situation has become the first priority. This is a real game of chess, they make a move, he makes a move. But after Friday night in Dumfries the board need to find some sort of resolution as quickly as possible.

I have been at clubs where there has been political turmoil off the pitch and it doesn't matter how much preparation you put into games, at some point it can all become too much for the players to concentrate on putting in a performance.

That's taking nothing away from Queen of the South, because they have a right good team and I am delighted for them.

It was always going to be a tough game down there and after what was another crazy day in the Rangers saga, they could have got a positive reaction from the team or they could have got what they did: a poor flat performance against an impressive Queen of the South team that could have won by more.

Already fans are getting ahead of themselves and linking everyone with a Rangers connection to the job - Derek McInnes, Stuart McCall, Terry Butcher - but this saga has got a long way to run yet and whatever happens Ally will always be a legend in the supporters' eyes.

There have been slip-ups during his time as manager, but he did get Rangers back-to-back promotions. Not everything has gone swimmingly, but I don't think you can say his reign has been a disaster either. He hasn't had a stable board to work under and it is unrealistic to ask him not to spend the club's money.

What is happening now is the manager and the board trying to outthink one another. I have said before in this column how strong and ruthless a mindset Ally had as a player, but I think he has met his match in this board. It is the most difficult challenge of his career.