Craig Brown believes Rangers manager Walter Smith would be perfect for the role of performance director at the Scottish Football Association.

The SFA has indicated a willingness to create such a role, to oversee future development of the game in Scotland.

Smith maintains that even though he is leaving Rangers at the end of the season, he has no plans to retire.

"He would be absolutely perfect for it. You couldn't get a better performance director", said Motherwell boss Brown.

Smith enjoyed a playing career with Dundee United and Dumbarton before taking up coaching roles with the Scotland set-up, then became assistant manager to Graeme Souness at Rangers in 1986 before taking over as manager in 1991.

You couldn't get a better guy to develop the future of Scottish football, because he's played, coached, and managed at every level Motherwell manager Craig Brown

"I've said to him that I have a better role for him - we'll give him a job scouting for Motherwell," said Brown. "I was joking with him, of course."

"You couldn't get a better guy to develop the future of Scottish football, because he's played, coached, and managed at every level.

"He was assistant coach of the Scottish youth team with Andy Roxburgh, and he was assistant to Alex Ferguson, Archie Knox and me at Mexico in 1986.

"He's done everything, and not only that - he's succeeded."

Smith revealed at the Scottish Football Hall of Fame dinner on Sunday that he hopes to remain in football when he steps down as Rangers manager at the end of this campaign.

The 62-year-old insisted he will still end his second spell at Ibrox in May after being persuaded to complete one more year with the Glasgow club at the end of last season.

"Everybody says I'm retiring, but I'm actually leaving Rangers," said Smith.

"I still hope I'll be able to do one or two things. Maybe not as a manager, but I hope to be involved with something."

Former Rangers and Scotland goalkeeper Andy Goram echoed Brown's sentiments and said he believed Smith, who had a spell in charge at Everton, could be a success in the English Premier League, but would be unlikely to take up another senior club role at home.

"It'll be hard for him to retire," said Goram of his former boss. "I can't see him pottering about in the garden.

"But I think he would miss the day-to-day training, and the passion and the aggro that goes with it on Saturdays.

"I don't think he would ever manage another club in Scotland - England maybe, but not Scotland."

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