WALTER SMITH reckons Rangers will have to make do without Scott Allan for now as Hibernian stand firm in their battle to hold on to the midfielder.

Rangers have made three offers for Allan, but the Easter Road board are determined to retain their key man, who is out of contract in the summer and has submitted a transfer request.

Former Ibrox boss Smith said: “Scott Allan showed last season at Hibs that he’s a very creative player and that’s something that Rangers have lacked over the last three seasons, someone who can carry the ball and create an opportunity for others.

“That’s obviously why Mark Warburton wants him, but it looks as though Hibs, and from their perspective quite rightly so, are not willing to sell someone who could cause them problems. They’ll not want to sell to anyone, never mind their closest rivals

“Scott would be a terrific acquisition, but I fear Hibs won’t sell, so I think Rangers will have to get on without him and I’m sure they will do.”

Warburton has added seven players to his squad ahead of the Ladbrokes Championship opener against St Mirren tonight.

Former Gers forward Mark Hateley was this week critical of the fitness levels at Ibrox last season as the Light Blues missed out on promotion.

But Smith insists the new management team of Warburton and David Weir must be praised for the job they have done in transforming Rangers’ on-field fortunes.

“Rangers now have a board that want to see the club go forward and for the right reasons,” he told SPFL sponsors Ladbrokes.

“The manager has to take some of the credit for that brightness moving on to the pitch. I couldn’t say that fitness was the cause of Rangers' problems last year – that’s not a fair assessment.

“When results don’t go well there’s an awful lot of pressure and that’s what happened last season.

“Now, with a new manager and a new board in place, a lot of that pressure has been lifted and this has transferred to the pitch, and the board and the manager are to be credited.”