EWAN Chester has probably accumulated enough air miles during his spell as Rangers chief scout to travel to Mars and back, but rest assured that if he ever makes it to the red planet, he will doubtless be keeping an eye out for the local talent.

For a man with a modest and nomadic playing career that included spells at Workington, Morton, and Hong Kong Rangers, Chester has since earned a reputation for having the sharpest scouting eyes in the business.

So sharp, in fact, that he has the implicit trust of the latest incumbent of the Ibrox hot-seat, Dick Advocaat, to the extent that the Dutchman was prepared to sign Marcus Gayle from Wimbledon on the strength of Chester's recommendation alone. Eyebrows were raised after the manager's admission that he had never seen the Jamaican first-hand but suggestions of panic buying were wide of the mark.

''Marcus Gayle had actually been on my list for three years and in that time I had watched him on a number of occasions,'' said Chester. ''With Michael Mols injured the manager wanted a striker and I felt he was different from what we already had at the club. He is better in the air than anybody else here and is left-sided. We haven't had anyone like that since Duncan Ferguson and Mark Hateley.''

Tellingly, he felt it was necessary to have more ''British-style players to match Celtic because they are strong physically'' and added: ''In my job it is always helpful to have players up your sleeve and that's the way it was with Marcus.

''Fabrice Fernandes had also been on my list for two years, from when I watched him play for France's under-21 team in the Toulon tournament. I knew he had a disagreement with Jean Tigana at Fulham, so we moved in quickly.''

The ''list'' is stored away from prying eyes in his office computer and included are the names of those players Advocaat has earmarked for his summer spending spree. ''Six goalkeepers, 12 defenders . . .'' he counts out loud before estimating there are ''about 80'' players in his database. With the manager having already stated that there is only likely to be one or two additions to his squad for the next campaign, many of those on the list will never make it to Ibrox, but it is Chester's job to ensure that there are plenty options available to cover any eventuality.

A chance meeting with Willie Donachie, the former Scotland internationalist, during an FA coaching course resulted in the retired journeyman deciding against following the often perilous path of management and instead walked straight into a scouting job at Oldham Athletic. Having served his apprenticeship at Boundary Park, Chester joined the Rangers revolution instigated by Graeme Souness 14 years ago, predominantly as a community coach, but he was soon on the road again, scouting on potential purchases and filing reports on the club's future opponents.

For someone ''Rangers- minded'', Ibrox was - and still is - the ideal workplace and Walter Smith's elevation from Souness' assistant in 1991 also resulted in a promotion for Chester, who by that time had cultivated myriad contacts throughout the footballing world.

''Walter gave me a piece of advice that has stood me in good stead. He once told me 'I don't care if a player goes to Manchester United or anywhere else, so long as I know about him'. That, essentially, is my job: to make the manager aware of any players who could do a job for Rangers.''

With more agents than ever before hawking their clients around, and live football beamed in from across the globe, Chester's job has never been easier. Yet, paradoxically, it has never been more difficult.

''It is great to have instant information on players but saturation is a worry. I do get phoned up and sent information all the time from agents, but you can tell pretty quickly which ones know the game and which ones don't. When Walter first appointed me, I was trying to do absolutely everything but I have learned to prioritise: there's no use concentrating on goalkeepers if the manager needs a right back.''

He has had mixed fortunes from his many missions, but the biggest waste of time occurred when trying to find a back-up to Andy Goram. ''I had a strong tip from a German scout and flew over to see this keeper in action. He lost four goals in 20 minutes and the only consolation was that it was 80 degrees in the shade.''

Other adventures have proved more fruitful but the recommendation of which he is most proud is that of Lorenzo Amoruso, despite the fact the Italian defender has been stripped of his captaincy this season after several costly mistakes and is likely - ''maybe, maybe not'' - to leave in the summer.

''I went to see him play for Fiorentina against Barcelona and he was man-for-man on Ronaldo. He was absolutely brilliant under extreme pressure and that is when he is at his best.''

Amoruso's countryman, Marco Negri, remains a mystery to the man who first saw him save Perugia in a relegation decider and persuaded Smith to part with #3.5m for his services. He is convinced the striker, whose contract at Ibrox was terminated a few months ago, ending a most bizarre three-and-a-half years, will make a comeback from a serious leg infection but cannot help ponder what might, indeed, should have been.

''When I watched Perugia they had 10 guys working their socks off for survival and one guy who did nothing but win the game for them. I told Walter he was not a team player, but one guaranteed to score 35 goals a season, and after the start he made, Walter used to joke: 'You didn't tell me he would do it before Christmas'.

''I think he regrets withdrawing his labour and although he came across as moody and disinterested, he was just a very private, complex person.

''It is a shame he never realised his potential, but in his first season out of the picture, Derby County asked for a video of him in action and I got Sandy Jardine to make one up. It is the best one I have ever seen and that is testament to his goalscoring ability.''

There is similar disappointment expressed when discussing Jonas Thern, ''a player's player'' who was never able to show his true worth after joining Rangers from Roma, and sheer disbelief at Alexei Mikhailichenko's status as assistant manager of the Ukrainian national team and Dinamo Kiev. ''I can imagine the training sessions they must have. A light warm-up on Monday, another on Tuesday, and a day off on Wednesday.''

Chester rhymes off names like children do the alphabet. He counts Kenny Dalglish, Souness, Smith (who unsuccessfully attempted to take him to Everton), and Advocaat as friends, and keeps in regular contact with those former Rangers now plying their trade down south, such as Richard Gough and Stuart McCall, for advice on players.

When he talks of having to ''plan a year ahead'' because of the Bosman Ruling and refers to ''active and inactive'' members of his own squad, you get the impression he likes playing manager, but such a notion was quickly and vehemently dispelled. ''I am never going to become a reserve team coach or a manager. Realistically, I have found my niche and my only ambition is to stay here and do the best I can.''