Rangers: Kenny Dalglish supports director of football role

Kenny Dalglish has worked both as a director of football and under one

Kenny Dalglish believes directors of football can prove invaluable to the modern-day team boss - as Rangers look poised to implement the system.

Dalglish was a director of football at Blackburn Rovers and Celtic - and also worked with one as Liverpool manager.

"It's much-maligned here... because people don't really understand what it is," he said.

"So as long as you know where you stand and lines are drawn before you start, I don't see a problem."

Rangers are awaiting a decision from Southampton head of recruitment and scouting Ross Wilson after offering him the director of football post.

And Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha, currently with Al-Gharafa, is believed to be their first choice as team boss.

Dalglish believes British football has been slow to embrace the system despite clubs on the Continent having adopted the system as far back as when Celtic were winning the European Cup in 1967.

Damien Comolli and Dalglish worked together successfully at Liverpool

"As long as the lines of demarcation are perfectly clear: if you're the director of football and I'm the manager, you will do the negotiations for players or transfers then I don't need to have anything to do with it," said the 66-year-old.

"This is just one scenario, it's not necessarily the same for everybody, maybe the manager wants to negotiate for transfers.

"The manager will always pick the team, should always pick the team. He will train and coach them, he will also decide which players come in and which players go out."

Dalglish enjoyed working under a director of football at Anfield.

"I worked with one when I went back to Liverpool with Damien Comolli and it was fantastic, the work he did," he recalled.

"He looked after all the finances with players, organised all the scouting and, if I said 'we need to have a look at him', he would send someone out.

"If he saw somebody, I would go and have a look. And there was never anyone that came in the door that I didn't want to come in.

Dalglish was director of football during John Barnes' disappointing time at Celtic

"For me, it can take a lot of work off the managers. Especially in the Premier League in England, they need as much time as they can get to prepare their teams."

Dalglish became one of British football's first directors of football after leading Blackburn to the title in 1995 and took on the role again at Celtic Park as John Barnes began a brief and difficult spell as manager.

"I never had a problem because I stuck to my job," he added. "I knew what my job was and John knew what his job was.

"I was frustrated that it never went better for everybody, but it wasn't because there was a clash in roles.

"I don't know what they will put in place, but I'm sure the board of Rangers and the management and the staff and the supporters are all looking for them to be a lot more competitive in the next couple of years."