Smith stated recently a desire to bolster his defence and will continue to keep tabs on the transfer market in the coming weeks for any attractive propositions.

But he is largely satisfied with the squad he has at his disposal which, if anything, may need to be trimmed ahead of the second half of the season.

"We've got a big group of players at the moment so we don't necessarily have to bring anybody in," he said.

"We could lose a few but it's not really that necessary for us to bring anyone in.

"When the transfer window does come around, if you can improve on certain situations within your team, you'll do so.

"If people are not getting a game, they aren't going to be that happy at not playing and may want to leave.

"Or they may not and we could have this size of group until the end of the season. We'll have to wait and see."

The rumour mill is already in overdrive, with Madjid Bougherra and Jean-Claude Darcheville both linked with French giants Marseille.

Bougherra claims to be happy with life at Ibrox since his summer move from Charlton, although Darcheville has been quoted as saying he would be interested in a return to his homeland.

Smith refused to be drawn on speculation regarding either players' future.

"The January transfer window is about seven weeks away and you are all free to speculate," he said.

"Although seven weeks is a long time to be speculating."

Meanwhile, Smith claims to have no concerns about his defence ahead of Sunday's trip to Kilmarnock after conceding three goals against Dundee United in midweek.

Rangers managed to salvage a point from Tuesday's game at Ibrox thanks to Kevin Thomson's last-gasp equaliser earning a 3-3 draw.

But defensive errors proved costly as Smith's men squandered the opportunity to move level on points with Celtic at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

"I think we have been defending very well this season," said Smith.

"We made a couple of errors in the game the other night that we paid dearly for and that was hopefully a one-off for us.

"Until then, we had only lost a couple of goals at Ibrox in the league games this season.

"The errors were very straightforward and they happen in football. Sometimes you can look too deeply when it happens.

"There is no problem with our defending. We made a couple of errors the other night but all credit to Dundee United, who were prepared to push forward and capitalise on those errors.

"I don't think you get concerned until it happens on a more regular basis but so far this season that hasn't been the case."

Smith admits he is worried about the two-point gap separating Celtic from Rangers but admits the Scottish champions deserve their advantage at the moment.

"It's always a cause for concern when you're not top of the league when you want to be," he said.

"I think that's credit to Celtic.

"That's why they have won the championship over the last few seasons, they've shown a remarkable consistency and we haven't been able to match that consistency.

"At this stage of the season, we've got more points than we had last season. It lets us see after the first quarter of the season exactly what we have to do."