McCoist has been handed the responsibility of helping negotiate Rangers' path through he Scottish Cup, with Walter Smith electing to take what many have interpreted as a back seat. His assistant grinned at this idea yesterday as he surveyed the wreckage from the 2-1 Old Firm defeat.

The fall-out has left the coaching staff with a major headache, with David Weir suspended on Sunday and both Allan McGregor and Lee McCulloch ruled out through injury. If it wasn't so serious it could provide Smith with some amusement. "Right then, Ally, let's see how you cope with this little mess," he might say, before fleeing Murray Park in the direction of the Campsie Fells.

"When we pick a team for a league game Walter has final say," explained McCoist. "And though I am doing this side of things – talking to the media, doing the team talks and all that – Walter is the manager (even in the Scottish Cup]. I would be foolish not to ask him for advice on the team, no matter if he gives me permission to pick it. That would be crazy."

McCoist and first-team coach Kenny McDowall will attempt to put Rangers back on track this weekend, though the suggestion that Smith won't be in overall charge is absurd. Rarely have Rangers been more in need of his experience ahead of what is another critical week in the side's season.

As McCoist said yesterday, Smith's composed presence in these circumstances is a boon, with few in the present Rangers side having experienced a title run-in. Indeed, only Barry Ferguson tasted the action when Rangers last reached a Scottish Cup final in 2003, although McGregor was on the bench and Nacho Novo did play against the Ibrox side for Dundee that day.

"The boys will naturally look to the manager now," said McCoist. "He's gone the distance and has been over the course on numerous occasions. I'll tell you one thing, had we won the game on Wednesday night the gaffer would have been the same afterwards as he was in defeat. It's a great talent and it's a great thing for the players to look at. If we win then fine, but if we lose it's not a disaster. Walter wrote the book on that type of thing."

After a catalogue of engagements with the media in the last fortnight, Smith, who even conducted a press briefing in his tuxedo on Monday night having been named manager of the year at the Clydesdale Bank of Scotland League Awards, was probably grateful for the rest yesterday, particularly since it followed such a contentious Old Firm meeting.

To be fair, Smith ducked few questions on Wednesday night and even returned to the press room at Parkhead to clear up further elements of a night that had ended in chaos, with post-match red cards delivered to Weir and Celtic's Gary Caldwell.

A little over 12 hours later, McCoist was in front of reporters. He contemplated the burning issue of Rangers' mettle when faced with the twin complications of fixture congestion combined with player unavailability. Adding to this mound of problems is the new lease of life given to Celtic's own title hopes after Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's injury-time winner.

Can Rangers do what they did in 1992-3 and claim the treble? They still have the chance to go one further and add a European trophy to the haul, something they just failed to achieve during Smith's second full season in charge at Ibrox. Although Rangers can boast a squad where the depth of quality is as deep as at any club in Scotland, it is being tested to the extreme now.

The mental challenge is also significant, with Celtic, providing they win their next three league fixtures, able to pull themselves eight points clear of Rangers in the first week of May. All the pressure would then be on the Ibrox side, who would still have four games in hand.

"There will be questions levelled at us now, I am aware of that," accepted McCoist. "And as far as I am concerned these are questions which have to be levelled at the players. This was always going to happen at some stage this season. So far the lads have answered all the questions and I don't have any doubt that they will keep answering them positively.

"Along with the gaffer and Kenny, I know these boys as well as anyone and there's a lot of strong characters, that's for sure," he continued.

"But we've never, ever said the league campaign was over. The league was never over, not at any stage. We have a cup game next, but I have no doubts we will bounce back. I see comparisons with the team I played for in 1992/93. There is a real togetherness and there is a real team spirit. There are characters who just don't know when they're beaten."

The prospect of a match at Hampden, one where the reward is the promise of a cup final, is perhaps just what Rangers need after Wednesday's disappointment. While McCoist confessed the mood was low-key at Murray Park yesterday he predicted that the spirits will lift again during the countdown to Sunday's game. There are few as eminently-well qualified as McCoist when it comes to rousing others, and Smith can perhaps afford to sit back and watch his assistant work on improving morale.

"When you lose a match you want to play the next one as soon as possible, and I detect that as being the case here," said McCoist. "The boys want to get back to winning ways. A cup semi-final is the perfect place and time to do it.

"If we can get to a Scottish Cup final against Queen of the South then that would be absolutely fantastic," he continued. "Every tournament we play in throws up its own problems. But we have to meet the challenges, and there is no point looking back.

"I've always had that philosophy. There is no use worrying about things you cannot change. I've been disappointed after Old Firm games before, but you dust yourself down and get on with it."

OLD FIRM BATTLES

WEDNESDAY'S explosive clash was just the latest in a long line of Old Firm skirmishes. Here are five of the most infamous.


Celtic 3-1 Rangers

CIS Cup semi-final (7 February, 2001)

Whistler Willie Young was forced to produce three red cards in this bristling Hampden encounter. Celtic cruised to a 3-1 victory thanks to a double from Henrik Larsson and a Chris Sutton strike. But tempers flared late on when Claudio Reyna, Michael Mols and Lubo Moravcik were all sent marching after a brawl.

Celtic 0-3 Rangers

Premier League (2 May, 1999)

The most recent and, hopefully, last Old Firm title decider could be summed up in one word: chaos. Ref Hugh Dallas was hit by a coin before awarding a controversial penalty. Celtic stars Stephane Mahe and Vidar Riseth were both in the thick of the madness and were sent off, along with Rangers striker Rod Wallace.

Celtic 0-1 Rangers

Premier League (29 March, 1997)

Brian Laudrup's winner all but wrapped up the title in Rangers' nine-in-a-row season, but this match will forever be remembered for the clash between Paolo Di Canio and Ian Ferguson. The stormiest encounter of the season saw Rangers' Mark Hateley and Celtic's Malky Mackay red-carded while eight others were booked. Then came Di Canio's infamous flare-up with Ian Ferguson after the final whistle.

Celtic 2-0 Rangers

Scottish Cup quarter-final (17 March, 1991)

This one went down in Old Firm folklore as the St Patrick's Day massacre and it's not hard to see why. Goals from Gerry Creaney and Darius Wdowczyk secured Celtic's victory in this last-eight first-leg clash, in which Rangers trio Terry Hurlock, Mark Walters and Mark Hateley and Celtic's Peter Grant were all ordered off.

Rangers 2-2 Celtic

Premier Division (17 October, 1987)

This bust-up boiled over into the courtroom as Rangers trio Chris Woods, Terry Butcher and Graham Roberts and Celtic's Frank McAvennie were all charged with breach of the peace. The Hoops striker and Roberts escaped without punishment, but Woods and Butcher were fined.