Lee McCulloch thinks every Rangers player will pull out the stops to ensure that manager Walter Smith does not suffer from last-year syndrome.

Smith has announced he will quit at the end of the season and there are many instances of teams failing to produce once a boss is on his way out.

"Every year is an incentive for the players, you always want to win things.

"But, if it's going to be the manager's last year, it would be great to let him go out on a high," said McCulloch.

The 62-year-old Smith extended his second hugely-successful spell at Rangers by signing a new one-year contract after retaining the Scottish title and winning the Co-operative Insurance Cup.

That was achieved on a tight budget and a reduced squad, but the debt-hit club's bankers have allowed the club some more leeway to strengthen this summer.

I've still got a year left of my contract, so it's all about what I do in this season coming Rangers manager Walter Smith

However, midfielder McCulloch said: "That's all behind us now.

"We've had our holidays, we're back on 3 July and that's when the hard work starts, so it's just about getting mentally prepared for that.

"We are looking forward to what is going to be another hard season.

"It's not going to come easy, it will be hard work and down to who wants it most."

Defender Kirk Broadfoot signed a new three-year deal earlier this week, but skipper David Weir has yet to thrash out a contract extension.

And McCulloch says he has no plans to request contract talks while other players are in the process of trying to secure their immediate futures.

"There have been no talks," said the 32-year-old, who signed from Wigan Athletic in 2007.

"It would be very selfish of me to think that I need to get myself sorted now while there are others to get sorted first, such as Davie Weir.

"He is currently out of contract and hopefully the club can sign him again. There are probably people ahead of me in the pecking order.

"I've still got a year left, so it's all about what I do in this season coming."

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