Ally McCoist: Rangers can still attract top players

The last 12 months have been a traumatic time for all concerned with the Light Blues, but manager McCoist believes that the worldwide coverage of the club’s travails can actually help them capture potential transfer targets.

A transfer embargo means Rangers must wait until September 1 before they can register free agents — and January 2014 before buying players — but can negotiate pre-contract agreements this month.

McCoist said: “We’ve got a massive list of players from all over the world which we are looking over at the moment.

“We’re keeping on top of the SPL players because we’d be crazy not to but we’re looking far outwith that as well.

“We’re doing our groundwork early and we’ve got to do that. We can’t register players until September but we’ve got to continue to scout.”

He added: “We’ve had camera crews and journalists here from all over the world and what is happening here has very much become a global story.

“I don’t think that has done us any harm in the respect of trying to get players in here because we are very much at the forefront of people’s news and views.

“It’s up to us to utilise that. That has shown with one or two agents we are just touching base with to keep in touch with their players and there has certainly been a keenness from them to come here.”

Meanwhile Inverness CT boss Terry Butcher said today that he turned down the offer of the manager’s job at Barnsley to make history at the SPL club.

The 54-year-old opted against a move to Championship club Barnsley after two days of talks and said: “I think we have something special here, that could be something marvellous at the end of the season. We’re creating history here all the time.”

He added: “For me, you have to have a gut feeling about things and I felt that I wanted to remain here and finish off what we’ve started.”