Steven Davis’ first words as Rangers boss admits top job call took him by surprise but vows to restore Ibrox pride

Interim Rangers boss Steven Davis insists the Ibrox squad DOES possess enough quality to turn around a rotten start to the season that landed Michael Beale the sack.

The hall of famer was installed as interim manager after a late night phone call on Sunday and immediately got to work preparing for Thursday’s Europa League trip to face Aril Limassol. The veteran midfielder will be joined by Alex Rae in the dugout after Beale was axed with defeat to Aberdeen proving to be the final straw for the Ibrox powerbrokers, with the Light Blues currently trailing Celtic by seven points in the Scottish Premiership.

Beale was slaughtered for his summer signings with big money arrivals including Cyriel Dessers, Jose Cifuentes and Sam Lammers yet to show their worth. But Davis, who has been training with the squad as he steps up his rehab from an ACL injury, says it’s up to his management team to provide the tools for the players to mend the broken start to the campaign that sees them trail Celtic by seven points after just seven games.

Davis will be assisted by former Gers midfielder Alex Rae, Brian Gilmour, Steven Smith and Colin Stewart. And speaking for the first time since being handed the reigns, the rookie interim boss vowed to put the pride back into the club by tackling the job with the same commitment he did as a player.

He said: "I feel very honoured. The call came out of the blue, I certainly wasn’t expecting it. I would just like to try and repay the trust the club have shown in putting me in this position.

“I’m delighted to get the opportunity and I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead. I believe in the group that we’ve got. Things haven’t gone the way we would have liked and we find ourselves in a situation. But I’m