Boys From The West of Scotland: Rangers At War

When Ally McCoist warned Charles Green that “boys from the West of Scotland don’t scare easily”, he was responding to his former chief executive’s assertion that the Rangers manager would “have a problem” if he failed to win a league and cup double. The comments, published in the Scottish Sun, came just before a humiliating League Cup defeat to Forfar Athletic and prompted a furious reaction from McCoist. An article titled “Contempt for our Club” appeared briefly on the club’s website, quoting the manager’s anger before being hastily removed, reportedly at the behest of communications director Jim Traynor.

It was the flashpoint in a week of remarkable internecine conflict at Ibrox, a week that has seen claim and counter-claim dominate the headlines, all while the club’s financial situation appears increasingly precarious.

The Money Is Disappearing

The core of the issue, as former player John Brown has been insisting for months, is cash. The club lost £7 million in the first seven months of the 2012-13 season, and informed sources suggest less than £10 million remains of the £22 million raised in the December share issue. A “City source” quoted in the Daily Record put it bluntly: “Rangers are paying out too much to too many people.” Dave King, the South Africa-based former director, went further, telling the Daily Mail he fears the club “could be in administration by Christmas”. This grim financial backdrop has given impetus to a shareholder rebellion aimed at removing the current board.

The move to install “lifelong fans” Paul Murray and Frank Blin on the board is backed by billionaire entrepreneur Jim McColl. He claims he was approached by institutional investors demanding “greater transparency, honesty and integrity”. CEO Craig Mather, Green’s replacement, hit back with a statement accusing the requisitioners of acting out of “self-gain and arrogance”, pointing out that none of them were “willing to invest their own money” when the club was in its “darkest hour”. The intervention of McColl and his allies has forced the simmering tensions at Ibrox out into the open, pitting former allies against one another.

A Defender of the Faith

Charles Green, having failed to get back onto the board, has returned as a “consultant” for a supposed £1,000 per month. His first acts were to criticise McCoist’s team and the club’s summer transfer policy, despite admitting he signed two of the new players himself. In a series of media interviews, Green presented a dizzying array of contradictions. He told STV that “football’s got nothing to do with me” yet also declared himself a “defender of the faith”, stating: “No-one is going to steal Rangers unless I know that they’re going to do the right thing by it.” He insisted he had “no relationship with Brian Stockbridge”, his own finance director, and claimed reports from Pinsent and Deloitte had cleared him of any links to Craig Whyte, though the published findings made no such reference.

His offer to McColl was particularly audacious. Green challenged the businessman to put £14 million in a bank account, for which his consortium would deliver a 28% stake in the club. He later clarified to STV that this money would go into the pockets of his consortium, not into Rangers. McColl’s response was withering. Correctly identifying the offer as an attempt to cash out, he stated he would not “give that man a penny” and labelled Green an “opportunist”. Paul Murray was equally dismissive: “The shareholders own the club, not Green.” The episode has only served to highlight the opacity of the club’s ownership and finances, particularly the high executive pay authorised during Green’s tenure, which included a £360,000 bonus for himself.

Battle Lines Are Drawn

The most significant intervention came from chairman Walter Smith. The Ibrox legend, previously silent, broke cover to unequivocally back the rebels. “It is clear that boardroom change is required,” he announced, urging fans to support the resolutions to change the board. Smith’s resignation statement was a hammer blow to the current regime and triggered a small protest by fans at Ibrox, who demanded answers but were met by a communications director refusing to speak until the media left. It is difficult to believe a spokesman attributed to Green actually exists, given the crassness of a statement describing Mather as a “frightened wee laddy” in a city for “big boys”.

Amid the chaos, McCoist’s outburst now looks like a sideshow. Green’s attempt to deflect blame by claiming Smith had privately made the “worst team ever” comment was seen as a grubby miscalculation that backfired badly. He has misjudged the mood. The focus is now squarely on the boardroom and the club’s dwindling cash reserves.

Fan representatives have prepared fifty questions for the board. The central one is simple: where has the money gone?