LOOKING FOR A KING’S RANSOM
Sandy says saviour will be required to dig deep
Dave’s a big Rangers man and would be a great asset for our club, even bigger if he can bring investment in with him RANGERS LEGEND SANDY JARDINE
ThERE was a gathering of legends at I brox yesterday to promote a new book about a man whose incredible achievements have resonated down the decades at Rangers.
Quite what Bill struth, who won 30 major trophies over 34 years as manager, would have made of the past two years of utter turmoil at the club he built into an institution will never be known.
What is beyond question, however, is that the standards of decorum once demanded have been replaced by a grubby soap opera played out in front of an audience of ever more dismayed fans.
From the descent into administration under Craig Whyte to the current anger over executive bonuses and a £14million loss, it has been one long, sorry tale. Perhaps appropriately, it is a group named the sons of struth who are foremost in protests against the current board.
This week provided some hope for those fans, who may feel a central character has now returned to the plotline with the capability to restore Rangers.
Talks between former director Dave King and chief executive Craig Mather have now reached an advanced stage. While no deal has been finalised, with hurdles yet to be overcome, it is possible that King could be formally installed as chairman before a fevered Annual General Meeting takes place on october 24.
The south African-based businessman is not only a lifelong Rangers fan but one who wants to invest a portion of his fortune into the club — despite losing the £20m he ploughed in during sir David Murray’s period of control.
King has laid out a series of conditions that he wants met before parting with more of his money, but has consistently said he would be willing to help Rangers challenge Celtic once they return to the top flight of the scottish game.
That, says Ibrox great sandy Jardine, is the most crucial point. The current figures point towards Rangers’ cash reserves running out at some point next season.
Getting back to the top flight only to find the bank is empty would leave them utterly helpless against an old Firm adversary which has banked substantial s u ms from back-to -back Champions League campaigns.
The only way to try to level the f uture playing f i eld would be through the weight of new money, backed by a revised business plan and investment in scouting. King, it seems, is the one man in the frame right now who could deliver.
‘I know Dave King and I got on well with him when he was a director previously,’ said Jardine. ‘I think he would be good for the club.
‘When Dave was back looking at the club about a year-and-a-half ago, he realised the big thing for anyone taking over the club was that they would need investment.
‘Whoever comes into Rangers, what we need is for everything to be calmed down and for there to be investment in the club.
‘It’s difficult for that to happen when you are in the lower tiers of the scottish game because your i ncome streams are cut. The season-ticket holders have been fantastic but they are paying a third of what they were three years ago. sponsorship and hospitality is also down.
‘We will get back into the top division, I have no doubt about that. But when we get back, we are not there just to compete against hibs, hearts, Aberdeen, Motherwell and so on.
‘We have to go and compete against Celtic — straight away. To do that, we need investment so that we can get better players.
‘Dave’s a big Rangers man, there’s no doubt about that. he would be a great asset for our club. he would be an even bigger asset if he can bring investment in with him.’
should King ultimately gain control, potentially via a new share i ssue, i t would not be about personal gain. his previous involvement with Murray proves that.
having someone who is first and foremost a supporter at the helm would be in marked contrast to the myriad of investors who currently hold stakes and attempt to influence the direction of the club.
‘If you look at my time in football, owners and directors of clubs have totally changed,’ said Jardine.
‘ Years ago, a rich supporter bought the club; a benefactor. Now it’s all investors, people putting money in as an investment and hoping that they get a return.
‘That has been a change, not just in our club but in many others.
‘ I’ll bet you if you asked our players at the moment: ‘Who are our directors?’ none of them would know. The players just get on with playing and so- called backroom turmoil does not affect them.’
Jardine, now 64, has faced a huge personal battle over the past year after being diagnosed with throat and liver cancer.
That crisis in health obviously meant he had to take a step back from the club, but his contribution over the period since Rangers entered administration has been greatly valued by Ally McCoist. I ndeed, t he I brox manager described Jardine as his ‘greatest ally’ when trying to hold the club together in the wake of Whyte’s shameful actions.
McCoist worked without pay during administration and recently volunteered a 50-per-cent cut of an £825,000 salary he accepted was out of kilter with Rangers’ current position in the third tier of the scottish game.
‘Ally has been fantastic for the club,’ said Jardine. ‘ he was criticised last season, which was out of order because when we got our licence back from the sFA we had 48 hours to put a team on the park.
‘I know, from working with Ally, the amount of players we were going to try to get but players wouldn’t wait and he lost all his targets.
‘I told Ally a year ago: “This is going to be a season of hell because we’ve not had a proper pre-season.’
‘It was not going to be pretty — we just had to get up and we did that. But a lot of people devalued it with a bit of stick, which I don’t think was justified.
‘If you look at it now, there has been proper planning, proper preparation, a good pre- season and we have signed our main targets.
‘I think everybody would say that the signings have been very good, so judge him now, not on last season.
‘The other thing is this — what other manager has to take the team and deal with the politics that have been involved? Nobody. It was totally unfair but now you’ve seen Ally in his true worth.
‘We’ve not won anything, but the team on the park is performing very well and the supporters are enjoying it.’
on a personal l evel, Jardine simply hopes to see a brighter future delivered. The past two years at Rangers have, he admitted, caused him anguish and left a lingering resentment
‘This club has been through hell and got a right kicking from a lot of people,’ said Jardine. That’s the thing that surprised me.
‘When we had our real troubles, when the club was fighting for its life, hardly anybody stepped up to help us. I won’t forget that.
‘But we have to move on and we have to build relationships, which we are doing.
‘But there are certain people who di d t hi ngs which are unforgivable.’
Mr Struth: The Boss by David Mason and I an Stewart is published by Hachette and is out now in hardback priced £20.