FANS' leaders have called on sportswear magnate and Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley to spell out his intentions towards Rangers after the Ibrox club accepted a £2 million loan from the tycoon.
Drew Robertson, general secretary of the Rangers Supporters Association, said while he had an open mind about Mr Ashley, fans wanted to know how far he planned to take his involvement.
The editor of the influential Rangers website Follow Follow has already labelled the Ashley loan "disastrous" and too closely aligned with "the controlling group on the board which has brought us to the brink of insolvency".
Meanwhile, Mr Ashley's growing involvement with Rangers is to be the subject of attention from the Scottish Football Association, which will contact Rangers over the coming days for further information on the intricacies of the loan agreement and any future intentions the Newcastle owner may have.
Mr Ashley, who already has an 8.92 per cent stake in the SPFL League One champions, saw his financial package given the green light by the board on Saturday, with the club expected to disclose this formally to the market today.
Rangers had an alternative offer from Sale Sharks rugby club owner Brian Kennedy, while former board member Dave King suggested a £16million investment last week in exchange for a significant role in the club.
Mr Robertson said: "Mike Ashley needs to spell ut his intentions. In a sense it doesn't matter who moves into Ibrox. It'll take a long, long time for the fans to trust anyone.
"But it's very strange to knock back a £16m investment in favour of a £2mn loan. Fans know what they get with Dave King. He's in it purely for Rangers, not himself.
"But people will feel this is about making Rangers a vehicle for Mr Ashley's Sports Direct company.
"If things are financially as bad as we've been led to believe maybe this is just enough cash to take us to an AGM and allow Mr Ashley to get even further involved."
It was reported yesterday that sources close to Mr Ashley said he was unhappy with "in-fighting at the club".
Neil Patey, a football industry expert at Ernst and Young, described Mr Ashley's move as "a high-risk loan" that pointed to a desperation in the Ibrox boardroom.
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