ALLY McCOIST has called for peace talks between Rangers and the Scottish Football Association to bring an end to the feud between the club and the governing body.
The animosity between the two has reached fever pitch this summer, with Charles Green, the Rangers chief executive, censured for comments in recent months and fans being vociferous in their anger at the SFA.
There is also resentment towards the Scottish Premier League and a number of top-flight clubs, with Rangers supporters calling for a boycott of cup ties should McCoist's side be drawn away in any of the domestic competitions.
On Monday, the SFA president Campbell Ogilvie hinted that he would like to meet Green to begin the reconciliation process and McCoist is keen for talks to take place. He said: "We want to get on with it. For the betterment of Scottish football, there has to be dialogue between the SFA and a club like ourselves. Of course there has to be.
"We have to appreciate that our views will be different on certain matters but also that we respect each other's position. We have to get back on better terms because the relationship between the two bodies has been far from ideal. Charles is 100% right in that respect.
"I have known Campbell [Ogilvie] for a long time. His father was here as the club doctor and Campbell is a good man. He has been in a bit of an unfortunate and uncomfortable position in many ways and I can appreciate that.
"But I know Campbell well and the one thing he would want, as we all do, is for relationships between the two bodies to be better."
McCoist will once again turn his attention to matters on the field this afternoon when Rangers face Stirling Albion at Forthbank aiming to put their poor away form behind them.
While Rangers have, for the most part played well, at home this term, they have struggled on the road and have yet to win on their travels in the third division.
Performances away from home have been well below what McCoist has expected them to be and knows his players must up their game this afternoon.
"I hope the players feel more comfortable. Our performance levels away from home have to improve, there's no getting away from that," he said. "Our worst performances have come away from home, in terms of our use of the ball, passing and things like that.
"We have to turn the draws we have had into victories, that is the most important thing. Secondly, the performance level has to improve.
"I'm not getting fed up saying the same things. That's our job. We need to get the best out of the players and the team. It would be pretty boring if everything just fell into place every time you turned up expecting it to happen, and that everything went like clockwork but football is not like that, especially in games away from home.
"But I'm not getting fed up, bored or angry. I'm just eager and keen to get the performance levels up in our games away from home."
It has been a season of firsts for Rangers as they have set out in Scotland's bottom tier, with McCoist's side taking a major step into the unknown.
There will be another strange occurrence for the Ibrox manager this afternoon, however, with his opposite number, Greig McDonald, set to miss the fixture as he is getting married.
McCoist said: "I've never come across anything like this, to be honest. It's a new one on me, but we are facing some different opposition and quirks in this division.
"I think I'd only get away with it if it was my own funeral – even then, I'm not sure if I would.
"There is something slightly amusing and bizarre about it, but I'd like to wish the happy couple all the very best for the future."
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