RANGERS boss Ally McCoist will not let the turmoil at the Ibrox club prevent his players landing the SPFL Championship.

That was the prediction from Light Blues defender Chris Hegarty today as he departed the Glasgow giants after four years.

It is currently unclear how many Gers fans have renewed season tickets for the 2014/15 campaign.

The Union of Fans, an umbrella group made up of six supporters' groups, has been urging them to withhold cash.

The union want security over Ibrox and Murray Park in return for the money - and the club has repeatedly said they will not get it.

The increasingly bitter stand-off has led to speculation about the future of the Govan institution.

And fears have been expressed about the team's ability to win the second-tier title and complete "The Journey" back to the top flight.

However, Hegarty, who has signed for Linfield in his native Northern Ireland, is convinced they will land a third successive promotion. He says McCoist has shielded the players from off-field problems in the last two years, and that is key to on-field success.

He said: "I have no doubt the manager will continue to take the strain off the players. He does that very well.

"He never really mentioned what was happening behind the scenes. He always dealt with it … If anything really big happened that affected us then the manager would tell us about it and give us his word he would stand by us."

Hegarty added: "He took the strain off the players a lot and put it all on his own shoulders. We just concentrated on training and playing.

"He always came in with a smile on his face and no matter what was happening he never let on if anything was bothering him."

He added: "No matter what is going on off the park I am sure the team will be fine next season thanks to the role the manager plays."