Ally McCoist must ensure Greig comparisons are short-lived

NEW era or old error? What was supposed to be a fresh start for Rangers under Ally McCoist has so far seen them look worryingly stale, highlighting the time-honoured debate in football about the advisability of appointing club legends as managers.

It is far too early, after only a draw with Hearts and a first-leg defeat by Malmo, to say anything definitive about McCoist's suitability as the successor to Walter Smith: this time next week his team could be top of the SPL and in the next round of the Champions League, in which case all would be well in the new manager's world. Nevertheless, the pressure is already on, and, thanks to the champions' sluggish displays in their opening two games, McCoist's first competitive month in charge will be subjected to greater forensic scrutiny than is the norm even for the Old Firm.

Neil Lennon had to undergo something similar at the start of last season, his first full campaign in charge of Celtic, but there were a couple of distinguishing factors. First, the former midfielder had already had a period as interim manager. Second, and more importantly, Lennon took over from a predecessor, Tony Mowbray, who had failed as Celtic manager and lost the confidence of all but a minority of fans.

McCoist, by contrast, has succeeded Smith in the aftermath of a third-successive title, and one which the old boss rightly reckoned was the greatest achievement of his two spells in charge of Rangers. So, while the only way was up for Celtic after Mowbray because, for a club of that stature, you can't get much lower than the 4-0 defeat by St Mirren which settled the Englishman's fate - the odds are stacked against McCoist emulating Smith and holding on to the title.

A more accurate comparison than that with Lennon, as Rangers' greatest goalscorer gets his new career under way, would be with the man who signed him from Sunderland back in 1983: John Greig. By that time Greig was close to the end of his five-year spell as Rangers manager after succeeding Jock Wallace.

Rangers had won the treble in Wallace's last season, so Greig, like McCoist, was arguably on a hiding to nothing. Unlike McCoist, however, Greig as Rangers captain was the embodiment of the club's image of stern indomitability and his status as an apparently born leader made him seem an obvious choice as manager. Without that status Greig would surely not have lasted as long as he did, for he won only two Scottish and two League Cups during his tenure, failing to win a single championship.

McCoist is a more urbane and insightful man than Greig, which will help him cope with a job which is far more multi-faceted and demanding than it was in the 1980s. But, in other respects, he is at a disadvantage to his predecessor. Most significantly, he lacks Greig's gravitas.

McCoist is well aware that the exuberance and irreverence which have made him so widely liked are not the kind of qualities normally associated with managerial success, and that the bonhomie which made him one of the boys as a player could turn him into a fall guy as a manager. He has therefore consciously worked to distance himself from that persona - and from the playing squad, as he revealed as far back as December, when he still had six months to serve as assistant manager before taking over in the hot seat."I have started to detach myself from the dressing-room a bit more," he said then. "I wouldn't say it was pre-meditated. I've just got to do what's right.

"The manager definitely has to take a step back - he can't be one of the boys. It's something I have to accept. I'm happy to sacrifice that if I'm manager.

"When I was a player, all the managers I had were the same. They were never one of the boys. Graeme Souness and Walter used to play in the fives but that was it. There has to be a gap."

At 48, McCoist is twice the age of many members of his squad, but still appreciably younger than Smith. That, in itself, makes him seem more approachable, and his playful side enhances that impression, even if that aspect of his character is now largely a thing of the past.

It is no slight on McCoist to say that he lacks Smith's standing in the game, because every other current manager does, too. But he is the one who suffers most by comparison.

Take Tuesday night at Ibrox - McCoist appeared at the edge of the technical area after his team went a goal down. When you saw Smith prowling around there, having abandoned his seat in the stand, you always got the impression that all he needed to do was grunt out a couple of orders and all would be well. But when you saw McCoist there, he retained the demeanour of a frustrated onlooker rather than a man who has taken it upon himself to rectify the situation.

McCoist so readily provokes affection in people that striking fear into them cannot come naturally. But he may need to do that if some of his squad are to get out of their early-season doldrums. His problem could be similar to that faced by all new managers: you do not really win the respect of your players until you have won a few games - but how do you win those games before you have won that respect?

Back in March, Smith foresaw some of the difficulties for his successor. "There is a hell of a difference between being a popular player and being a popular manager," he said. "You have to earn the right to become a popular manager - being a popular player will not help you.

"It didn't earn John (Greig] any leeway. What Ally needs now is a bit of the famous McCoist luck."Five months on, those sentiments are truer than ever.