New Rangers board make a winning start with McCall appointment

They were obviously none too impressed with what they saw against Cowdenbeath away on Saturday and Queen of the South at home on Tuesday. The team has hit a real low.

Rangers are still trying to get promotion and having seen the team struggle in two games and heard the reaction from the crowd the new board have responded to that.

I am sure they think a new man in charge, a new voice, new tactics and new training methods, will be helpful just now.

Time will tell if Stuart is the right man to take over on a long-term basis. He certainly did fantastically well at Motherwell. They finished second in the top flight and got into Europe.

And, remember, he lost a lot of players, the majority of his team in fact, a couple of years ago and still managed to achieve that.

Stuart has definitely got something. Plus, he knows Rangers, knows what the demands on him will be and knows what the fans expect.

Kenny Black is exactly the same. I played alongside Kenny, wee Stampy, at Rangers during my career. So they both know the club.

I think Stuart spent a season too long at Motherwell. When you finish second in the top flight it is as good as it gets because a club like that is never going to win it. He stayed a season too long. He was unfortunate.

But everybody I have spoken to who has worked underneath him rates him very highly. By all accounts, he is a good motivator and that is badly needed at the moment.

Rangers have a decent squad with some good individual players. But as a unit they just aren't doing it at the moment. I think Stuart coming in will give them a lift.

They aren't going anywhere at the moment. With Hibs winning again on Wednesday night they are now five points behind with two games in hand.

They need a boost and for that reason this is the right move.

Not even the most diehard Rangers fan would bet on them finishing second - or, for that matter, securing a play-off place - the way they are playing just now.

Hibs, Queen of the South and Falkirk are all playing well gaining momentum while Rangers are faltering. Finishing second would be a fantastic accomplishment.

Dave King stressed last week that he is looking for a coach more than a manager. Well, that is what he is getting.

In the past, a new manager at Rangers just needed to make one or two signings to top up a squad that was invariably full of talented individuals and experienced internationalists.

That is no longer the case. The new man has to completely rebuild the squad and the side. He has to win games while doing that. But I am in no doubt that Stuart will be equal to that challenge.

Crucially, Stuart bought well when he was at Motherwell. The players he brought in did fantastically. When they were all snapped up by other clubs he just went out and made more good signings.

He has obviously got good contacts down in England and that could be very, very important for Rangers going forward.

I think the majority of Rangers fans would be happy with the appointment. For me, Stuart was, pound for pound, probably the the Ibrox club's best ever signing.

I can't remember him having a single bad game in the seven years that he spent playing for Walter Smith's side. He was Mr Consistency.

Rangers have underachieved so much this season. The majority of the players aren't performing. They were good professionals when they arrived at the club. For some reason, many of them have gone backwards.

The new manager will, I am sure, get them going forward again. I think he will get them playing football, knocking the ball about well, too. That has been true of all of his sides.

Rangers have to get back to believing that they can play. They are getting slaughtered for not producing the goods. And rightly so. But their confidence has clearly taken a hammering.

It will be down to Stuart to give them their self-belief back. Big Jock Wallace used to say to us: "You can't treat every player the same because every footballer is different."

Some will need an arm around their shoulder and a word of encouragement. Others will need a size 10 up their backsides. At this moment in time, there are a lot who need the latter.

I am sure Kenny McDowall will be quite happy with developments. He has given 100 per cent since he has taken over from Ally McCoist. But he would much rather not be there.

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