Rangers will have a better idea of the prospects of moving the club out of administration later today when the deadline for indicative bids closes.

Only two parties had publicly declared their hand on the eve of the deadline, which was set by administrators Duff and Phelps.

One of the bidders, Sale Sharks owner Brian Kennedy, has declared himself a reluctant runner and the financial backers of the other bid, Ticketus, were yesterday involved in a court dispute with Duff and Phelps.

Double glazing tycoon Kennedy, a Hibernian fan, has held talks with manager Ally McCoist and former manager Graeme Souness, his friend, but he claims his interest is only out of a sense of duty rather than desire to be Rangers owner.

Kennedy said: "I hope to get something in by Friday purely as a fallback for the administrators, should the other bids fall over or not be acceptable.

"If I am going to be in a position where they ask me to press on with it, then I want to know more about it. The administrators will be looking to get the best possible deal, that is their duty."

Kennedy would be happy to concede to Paul Murray, whose fan-backed Blue Knights consortium have been planning a bid since the start of the process.

The initial capital will come from Ticketus, whose 24.4million pound cash injection allowed Craig Whyte to pay off the club's bank debt and thus complete his takeover in May last year.

Ticketus yesterday faced Duff and Phelps in the Court of Session where they insisted they had a legally binding agreement with Rangers, with the administrators looking for direction from the judge after arguing the deal would deter bidders.

Duff and Phelps have previously revealed interest from America and the far east.

Meanwhile Rangers can start preparing for an SFA hearing on March 29 after being charged with five offences on top of their non-payment of gate receipts to William Hill Scottish Cup opponents Dundee United.

The cases will be heard by an SFA judicial panel, who will also decide on two alleged rule breaches by Whyte.

The club and Whyte have both been hit with two identical charges - disrepute and acting improperly.

The Scottish champions have also been hit with two charges over the SFA's rules regarding fit and proper officials - Whyte did not declare his previous disqualification as a director.

Rangers could also face action over rule 14(g), which states that membership may be suspended or terminated, or a fine may be issued, where a club suffers or is subject to an insolvency event.

The club also face a Scottish Premier League inquiry over alleged non-disclosure of payments to players before Whyte took over.