I must admit that the signing of big Jon Daly from Dundee United could prove to be a real masterstroke by Rangers boss Ally McCoist.

The Ibrox manager has made some great signings already this summer, with Nicky Law arriving from Motherwell and Nicky Clark from Queen of the South and, of course, the Honduran internationalist Arnold Peralta – but for me Daly looks like he will be the pick of the bunch.

It did give me a wee chuckle to hear that Mark Hateley had been comparing Daly to myself, but the truth of the matter is that, much like me, the ex-Dundee United captain is pretty much as at home leading the line as he is at centre-back.

Right through my career I mixed up the two positions and I probably played between 150-200 games in the heart of the Rangers rearguard while also occasionally playing in midfield.

Daly looks like he will be equally as strong if used in either position and his arrival does give Ally real options at either end of the team.

If Daly plays at centre-back then the prospect of him lining up alongside Lee McCulloch, who I would imagine will revert to centre-back next season, would give you two aggressive ball-winning six-footers at the heart of the defence and that would be a huge improvement on last season for the Ibrox outfit.

Last term one of Rangers' major problems was defending set-pieces, and I have no doubt that if you have a pairing of McCulloch and Daly in the middle of the rearguard then the side will not be conceding half as many poor goals as they did during the basement campaign.

Against that, though, you have to balance the impact Daly could make if he plays up top with that he would make in the back line.

Up front you would have a powerful target man with real presence who would give Rangers a physicality that would be a huge plus for the likes of Andy Little or Clark playing alongside him.

I think that the big fellow scored 15 goals in the top flight last season and I'm sure that he would score a barrowload after dropping down two leagues with Rangers.

At 30, Daly is a seasoned SPL player and should find the step down to the second-bottom league a piece of cake.

That would certainly be an advantage over me as all my football was played at the highest level with Rangers.

Daly will also be bringing some real experience and presence to the side and that is another huge plus.

I have no doubt that these are two qualities that will insure he does not suffer some of the teething problems that other players who dropped down the levels to play with the Light Blues experienced last season.

But, as we saw last time around, Rangers are a very young side and it is all about getting the right blend of experience, youth and quality.

The big difference for Ally this summer is that he has been able to go out there and recruit players who will allow him to develop that blend within his side.

I also think that his decision to come to Rangers at the absolute peak of his career says a lot for Daly. He knows that he will be 32 by the time Rangers, all things going well, will be back in the top flight and that is a big ask at this stage in his career.

It is also one that underlines just how hungry Daly is to play for Rangers.

The former Tannadice man is also the sort who will go down well with the Rangers support as he puts his heart into everything that he does.

That is another similarity between myself and Daly and one that never did me any harm in my time at Rangers.