Rangers chairman Alastair Johnston insists keeping Walter Smith at the club is one of his top priorities - but claims there needs to be a "Plan B" in place if the manager decides to walk.
Smith this week declared he would consider continuing to work without a contract next season if the debt-ridden club - who are nevertheless on the brink of retaining the Clydesdale Bank Premier League - needed him to. But he also reiterated his concern over a potential business plan that would deny him the chance to sign players this summer.
Johnston admits he cannot guarantee Smith will have money to spend, and while he welcomes the 62-year-old's commitment to the cause, he is also braced for the prospect of losing him and assistants Ally McCoist and Kenny McDowall. Johnston told the Daily Record: "It's heartening to hear Walter say that but there's a lot of things that can happen between now and the end of the year that will influence his decision."
He added: "For sure, the club would like to see Walter back again next year. But I'm not going to take everybody at their word at this point because, with the ever-changing situation, you have to be constantly taking the temperature of people.
"Keeping Walter, Ally McCoist and Kenny McDowall is definitely a high priority. We must figure out if Walter will be there next season and what Plan B would be if he did decide to go. Obviously, that's one of the biggest issues that has to be addressed.
"We are on track to have a good year financially but there's a lot of things that can happen between now and June when the transfer window opens. So we have to have plan A, B and C for when we go back to the bank to negotiate for the new season.
"Plan A obviously involves income from the Champions League. But there are so many moving factors at the moment that I can't say yes or no to whether we will be able to bring in new signings in the summer.
"We are sensitive to the fact we have a squad that has done tremendously well this year with scarce resources. Hopefully, we hang on to our lead in the league and do the business."
Source: PA
