DAVE KING insists Rangers legend Ally McCoist will always be welcome at the club and reckons his Light Blues side would have won the Championship if it wasn’t for the boardroom turmoil at Ibrox.

Many Gers fans were left disillusioned during the final months of McCoist’s reign as boss as a series of poor performances cost them a shot at the second tier title.

The 53-year-old was placed on gardening leave by the former regime when he handed in his notice and he has not been back at the club since his final game in charge in December 2014.

McCoist has thus far declined to take up offers from King and his fellow directors as he stayed away from Ibrox during Mark Warburton’s first campaign in charge.

King insists Rangers’ record scorer is ‘welcome any time’ and his praised McCoist for his efforts on and off the field during a turbulent few years at Ibrox.

He said: “Ally is one of Rangers’ all-time greats as a footballer and deserves the iconic status that he achieved at the Club.

“In all of my personal dealings with Ally, both pre and post regime change, I have never felt that he made a decision without considering the interest of the Club ahead of himself.

“When Ally resigned from the Club he, quite correctly, did so in terms of his contract.

“He subsequently compromised on this contract to the benefit of the Club and we are grateful to him for that voluntary concession.

“Ally was a unifying figure for the Club when we were demoted to the lower leagues.

“As expected of a club with Rangers resources he secured two very comfortable promotions before the team failed to win the Championship and thereby secure the anticipated immediate return to the Premier League. Given Rangers resources, that was completely unacceptable and Ally acknowledged that.

“However, and importantly, what must not be forgotten is the absolute turmoil at the Club during that season with massive cost reductions on and off the field.

“The emergence of Mike Ashley via Derek Llambias was guaranteed to spiral the Club further downwards and the overall atmosphere throughout the Club was as dismal and dire as it could possibly have become. I know this from my personal interaction with insiders throughout this terrible period for the Club.

“The first team was not immune from what was going on and I am absolutely certain that the on-field performance was greatly impacted by the off-field shambles.

“I am also absolutely convinced that if the present board had been in place during that season (and was able to provide the support that the present manager now receives) Ally and his team would have won that Championship.”