ALLY McCoist insists it is wrong to expect Rangers to win the SPFL Championship at a canter because their football budget is so vastly superior to anything else in the league.

The Ibrox manager, already trailing in Hearts' slipstream, is unapologetic in suggesting he would accept promotion through the play-offs.

But it seems clear that Ibrox fans do not believe that a squad and management team with such a comparatively vast wage bill is delivering anything like good value.

"If money was the answer to everything, Man City would win every game and every competition they're in," argued McCoist.

"The money's got nothing to do with me. I don't give players money for contracts. That's somebody else's gig.

"I can understand the argument, but look at the other side of the coin. If your budget is under 30 per cent of your turnover, it would be the envy of all the clubs in Europe.

"I never thought for a minute when we played any of the Italians, Milan or whatever, that I don't fancy us or said: 'Look at their wages and look at ours.' You don't do it."

McCoist insists he does not take the growing criticism personally, but he clearly harbours some frustration over the absence of any real middle ground in the appraisal of Rangers' recent performances.

"I just don't agree with (the view) it's either sh*** or sugar, if you'll excuse the expression," he remarked.

McCoist's training methods were slated earlier this week by former Hearts player Michael Stewart, but he remains confident in the worth of his toil within Murray Park.

"Nobody knows what goes on in here apart from the players, the staff and the management," responded McCoist. "We believe in our methods."

It is generally believed the 52-year-old will leave management completely when his time at Rangers is over and he has offered little to suggest otherwise.

"I've never really given it that much thought," he stated. "As a supporter, player, coach, and manager, this is the only club for me that exists anywhere, never mind just in this country."