GLASGOW:Rangers manager Ally McCoist says he welcomes the Scottish Football Association's decision to hold an independent inquiry into the activities of the club.
In December, the SFA said it would investigate Craig Whyte after the Rangers owner admitted that he had previously been disqualified as a company director.
Now Rangers are in administration, the governing body says it is looking into "potential breaches of the SFA's articles of association" and will examine the businessman's takeover of the club as well as investigating his credentials as a fit and proper person to run the club.
The SFA inquiry could lead to further sanctions against the Scottish champions, who were immediately docked 10 points by the Scottish Premier League after entering administration on Tuesday.
Despite the potential for more punishment for his club, McCoist says he welcomes the probe and hopes any investigation will shed more light on what had been happening at the club since Whyte's takeover in May last year.
"As manager of the club, I would welcome it because the amount of clarity that comes out on the whole issue is vital to everybody," the Gers coach said.
"We want all the facts and figures and everything disclosed. I think it's the very least the supporters and staff deserve.
"So any investigation myself, as manager of the club, would support.
"We have to have clarity for us to move forward. We have already taken a right good few steps back so if there is any more to go back, we are as well getting them now because we have a long way forward."
McCoist was speaking after watching his side end a week of woe with a 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock.
The largest crowd of the season crammed into Ibrox for the crisis-stricken club’s first game since they entered into administration following the non-payment of around £9 million ($14.2m) in tax.
McCoist said he was desperate to give the fans something to shout about after one of the most turbulent weeks in the club's 140-year history .
But the noisy Rangers support were silenced as early as the 12th minute, when Dean Shiels finished low past Allan McGregor for the only goal of the game.
Motherwell’s 3-0 win over Hearts saw them close the gap on Rangers in second place to just six points, while Celtic could go 17 points clear at the top if they defeat Hibernian on Sunday.
Redundancies, both on and off the field, remain a threat at Ibrox as the administrators look to trim the wage bill.
And while unwilling to point to the uncertainty at the club as the reason for the defeat, McCoist said he could not blame the players if it had affected their performance.
"We can all say they are professional but if somebody threatens your job then people will react in different ways," McCoist said.
"But I felt the way the players and the team reacted in the second half is the way everyone at the football club will have to do and that is to get their sleeves rolled up and just get on with it and face what's coming.
"One of the things the administrators have said is that cuts and people losing their jobs is not inevitable. Obviously they have said it is a possibility but it is not inevitable.
"That in itself I would find encouraging but that's not to say it won’t happen. But I think it gives everyone hope and that in the grand scheme of things is one of, if not the most important thing."
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2012
