Gordon Smith back on front line as he takes up Rangers director of football role

GORDON Smith will make a dramatic return to football as director of football at Rangers under the new Craig Whyte regime at the Ibrox club

As Whyte reshapes the senior management structure of the Scottish champions, there will also be a new role as director of operations for Ali Russell, the former head of marketing at the Scottish Rugby Union and commercial director at Hearts. He will effectively run the club at Ibrox when Whyte is not around.

The appointments of Smith and Russell clearly indicate there will be no reprieve from Whyte for Rangers chief executive Martin Bain and financial director Donald McIntyre, both of whom were suspended by the club in the wake of the new owners takeover last month.

Smith's return to Rangers, where he was a successful and highly regarded player from 1977 to 1980, will see him charged with securing transfer targets identified by new manager Ally McCoist and negotiating contracts with both new signings and existing squad members.

The 56-year-old has been out of front line football since resigning as chief executive of the Scottish Football Association in April last year. Smith had a tumultuous spell of just under three years at the SFA helm which included the Boozegate controversy involving then Rangers captain Barry Ferguson and goalkeeper Allan McGregor amidst George Burley's ill-starred reign as Scotland manager.

Formerly a licensed Fifa players agent, Smith has been working as a BBC radio and television pundit once more since leaving the SFA. Rangers' only previous flirtation with a director of football role was unsuccessful when Dick Advocaat briefly held the post after making way as manager for Alex McLeish in 2001.

Russell's involvement in the Whyte regime at Rangers was widely expected, the 39-year-old having been among the Motherwell-born venture capitalist's entourage on his official arrival at the club last month.

Most recently the chief executive at Scottish Swimming, Russell has a varied background in sports administration. A protege of former Hearts and SRU chief executive Phil Anderton, Russell was deputy managing director at Queens Park Rangers from 2008 until earlier this year.

Whyte last night expressed his satisfaction at the recruitment of both men, revealing that Smith will operate from the club's Murray Park training base while Russell will oversee business on a daily basis at Ibrox. "I'm delighted that Gordon and Ali are with us and I think they will be key appointments for us, Whyte told rangers.co.uk.

"Gordon has a wealth of experience in football administration from his role with the SFA and his contacts in Uefa.

"He has a great Rangers background having been a key player in the 1970s for the club and I'm sure the fans will be delighted with his appointment.

"Gordon will be running things at Murray Park but he also has a good knowledge on the commercial side which is a great benefit. He will be working with the scouting set-up and also on transfers.

"Ali did a great job at QPR and he will be working with the management team we have at Ibrox. Due to my many business commitments I am unable to work at Rangers every day so Ali will be carrying out that aspect of things."