ALLY McCOIST, the Rangers manager, has dismissed the idea that he could remain in the post indefinitely simply because the club could not afford to sack him.
With Rangers in poor financial health and in urgent need of external investment, it has been widely assumed the board of directors would not consider a change in the dugout because they would be reluctant to pay compensation to McCoist, his assistant Kenny McDowall and first-team coach Ian Durrant.
McCoist, though, insisted he is "not bombproof" and felt there wasn't a manager anywhere who was not at risk of being sacked. "I don't find it insulting at all [that people think it costs too much to sack him] although I don't necessarily agree with it," he said. "I don't think there has ever been a manager who hasn't been sackable. I don't think anyone is bombproof. I wouldn't sit here for a minute and say I'm bombproof.
"I'm still wearing the flak jacket but nobody is bombproof. People's opinions are different. Look at the referendum - guys arguing over this, that and the next thing. In many ways, there is no right or wrong when people have different opinions. So when people are saying they are unhappy with the tactics or saying 'they can't sack him', it's just someone's opinion that I don't give any thought to at all."
McCoist has come under sustained criticism following Rangers' 3-1 home defeat by Hibernian on Monday night, something he admitted he didn't enjoy but accepted as part of the job. "I've not been saddened [by the criticism]," he added. "But I am not going to sit here and tell you it's enjoyable when you are getting stick.
"Of course it's not. But I have a real acceptance that it goes with the territory. If Walter Smith can get nine in a row and get to the UEFA Cup final and get dog's abuse then it is fair to say that we will get our fair share of criticism. It ain't great.
"It's not good, not for a minute. But it goes with the territory and it will happen to the next manager who comes in and the next one after him and the next one after him. It is very much a fact of life."
Michael Stewart, the former Hearts and Hibernian midfielder and now a newspaper columnist and broadcaster, has been particularly outspoken about what he feels are McCoist's limitations as a manager, but McCoist chose not to respond directly to "people who don't like you".
"I wouldn't comment on individual remarks," he added. "I think there are probably people who might want me to do that, who might want me to react to individual comments. That is fine. All I would say is you are going to get criticism like that from people who don't like you. And you are going to get people who say you are good.
"I take the criticism. It's an opinion, I don't necessarily agree with it. If somebody is very positive I am not going to get carried away and say that is fantastic as well. It is important for us, and me in particular,
that we don't lose our focus
at all. Particularly due to criticism which is inevitable."
Rangers, who travel to play Livingston this afternoon, trail Hearts by six points at the top
of the table and McCoist revealed he would accept promotion via the play-offs - rather than going up automatically as champions - as long as it meant his team was playing in the SPFL Premiership. "Relying on the play-offs is not out of the question because getting out of the division is the most important thing," he added.
Rangers will be without Bilel Mohsni today after the club accepted the offer of a two-game suspension after the defender lashed out at Hibs' Liam Fontaine in Monday night's match. "He didn't handle well the aggression towards him," said McCoist.
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