Malcolm Murray, the chairman of the new Rangers, has called on Walter Smith to join forces with Charles Green's consortium rather than trying to take charge with the help of Scottish businessmen Jim McColl and Douglas Park.
Murray also insists the new regime at Ibrox want Ally McCoist to stay as manager and begin the process of trying to persuade players to allow their registrations to transfer to the newco.
In a round of media interviews yesterday, Murray sought to heal the rift between the new club's owners and the fans, who want Smith's consortium to own The Rangers Football Club. Murray, who claims to be a life-long Rangers supporter, said that "it's in everyone's interest to have unity". Yet there remain inconsistencies, with Murray claiming that "flipping [a quick sale of the business] is not what it's about and I wouldn't be involved if it was", even though Green said the day before that his investors would listen to offers.
The overriding message was that Green's consortium wants to present themselves as the long-term owners. The sudden appearance of Smith, along with McColl and Park, generated a surge of goodwill among the Rangers support, and the trouble facing Green's group is that fans refuse to buy season tickets until they have departed. Sponsors are also beginning to withdraw in support of the Smith consortium.
The news that McCoist discovered Green's plot to oust him, and that their relationship is beyond repair, also riled fans. Murray insisted that the new board want McCoist to take control of the team, although talks have yet to be held between the manager and Green. Murray also appealed to supporters to back Green, whose advisors are Zeus Capital, a Manchester investment bank that brought the Yorkshireman's attention to the deal on offer at Rangers and who are managing the investments of Green's backers.
"It's our stated policy that he's an integral part of The Rangers Football Club going forward and he's been told that," Murray said of McCoist. "I know Ally from way back. The most important thing is that constructive dialogue should take place between everyone who has Rangers' best long-term interests at heart.
"We are desperate to have dialogue with Walter Smith and all his associates. The process is starting to try to make it happen constructively. What we need is a bit of unity between all connected parties, the fans in particular. There is nothing without the fans, they're the most important. I'm one and I don't want to be flippant, but it's actually my wedding anniversary today and any Rangers fan's wife knows what comes first, mine included. So she's not getting away anywhere."
Murray, a 57-year-old from Ayrshire, is director of MWB Business Exchange plc. He was once the steward of a 25% shareholding in Manchester United, but claims to be a long-term season ticket holder at Ibrox. His role is to bring some credibility to Green's consortium among Rangers fans, and he stressed his credentials as one of them.
"The new board is not fully constructed yet," he said. "We want to have a balanced and diverse board, because the boardroom structure in the past, with the fiefdoms and the excesses, just wasn't balanced. There will be at least one other non-exec who's as much a fan as I am and a proper Rangers man. We want the fans to know that. I'm a very long-term Rangers fan, I've been everywhere, my children are too. I know lots of fans, lots of supporters clubs' chairmen."
Murray is adamant that Green's consortium have not become involved for short-term gain, although Herald Sport understands that selling all or some of the assets is at the forefront of some investors' thoughts. There is a battle for hearts and minds taking place, since fans holding back on season tickets, sponsors pulling out and players refusing to allow their registrations to move to the newco, leave the new owners with a stadium, a training ground, a car park, but no team or supporters.
Although Murray claims that "£4m to £6m could easily be coming in during the next month", that is significantly short of the £30m Green had previously spoken of raising. It is unlikely that the consortium will spend any more money while negotiations take place for a sale. Yet Murray claims there is a long-term plan in place.
"Remember that Zeus Capital were Manchester United's advisor when they floated way back and it went on to become properly invested, [with a] bigger stadium [and a] global brand and it was done on a long-term basis," Murray said. "I'm involved to rebuild some of the broken pieces, rebuild the fans' trust. We all feel appalled at what's happened to the fans. They all deserve a serious apology and this is going to be built for the long-term. Having all interested parties involved is the best way. We want to encourage them to talk."
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