RANGERS hope to announce the appointment of Ross Wilson as their new Director of Football within the next 72 hours.

It’s understood the 34-year-old Scot, currently Southampton’s Director of Scouting and Recruitment, has been told the post is his if he wants it.

He requested to delay giving his answer until after Saints had played in today’s League Cup Final against Manchester United.

Light Blues supporters could do with some good news following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Dundee and Inverness Caley Thistle.

Especially with the League Managers Association having confirmed the £1-million legal battle for compensation for the departure of Mark Warburton & Co, the appointment of a new boss could be set to drag on.

Rangers skipper Lee Wallace hopes for successor to Warburton is found quickly

LEE WALLACE admits defeat in Inverness, and a crisis of confidence engulfing Ibrox, makes it vital the board act swiftly to bring in a permanent successor to Mark Warburton.

Friday night’s 2-1 beating in Inverness left Rangers with just one win in seven matches and Aberdeen looking capable of stretching away in second place behind Celtic.

Gers’ captain Wallace thought the crisis years were behind the club and admits the current predicament is galling.

Adding his voice to calls to quickly identify and recruit Warburton’s replacement, Wallace said: “I think that would be the approach that a lot of people would want – to get a manager in and give him this last period to assess how he is going to move the move the club forward.

“Obviously there’s a lot of noise about a director of football. These are just things that we read, that we hear ourselves, but hopefully that progress is quicker and it happens sooner rather than later.

“Then, first and foremost, the manager can assess the squad,

identify where he needs to strengthen and how we are going to close this gap.”

Wallace, as one of the stalwarts who stuck by Rangers after financial collapse and demotion to the bottom division in 2012, finds an unwelcome sense of déjà vu in the current turmoil engulfing the club.

He said: “We thought all that was behind us – that was definitely the feeling. I don’t think there would be any reason to think otherwise.

“We had a really strong season last year, disappointed with the cup final but I think the progress we were making, the style of football, everything was laid out perfectly for us.

“We were just hoping to kick on and be as competitive as we could be this season which, again, we have not managed to be. That is another disappointment.

“We have a really tough challenge on our hands now to get that second spot which, in reality, we have targeted. It’s still there for us.

“We are in a bad moment, we’ve a lot of making up to do but we are never ever going to give up and we are going to strive every day to make sure we get it right on the pitch.”

Wallace admits the whole Warburton scenario, with the Englishman departing so suddenly, came as a shock to him.

But he insists results since, under the guidance of caretaker manager Graeme Murty, have only been a continuation of previous problems.

The Scotland defender said: “I don’t think it has affected things on the pitch. We were trying to find that consistency before the departure of the gaffer and Davie Weir.

“But again, it did come as a shock at the time. The answer is to be as professional as you can and get on with the job on the pitch.

“Unfortunately for us, out there on the pitch hasn’t been good enough and more so in the last two games. We are in a really bad moment and we’ve got to get ourselves ready for Wednesday and move on and start winning games.

“It was actually a strange situation when the manager left. I was at home when Kenny Miller phoned.

“He told me the news and I switched on the TV to see the press conference and could see everything unfolding.

“That was a bit of a shock. It is never great finding out that way and I am disappointed because I had a great working relationship with the gaffer and Davie. Hopefully it will sort itself out and we can move on and be stronger.”