ADMINISTRATORS at Rangers hit back last night at claims they were dragging their heels over the appointment of a preferred bidder for the club.

Paul Murray, of the Blue Knights consortium, was quoted in one newspaper yesterday speaking of his fears that the decision to facilitate the request from Singapore-based businessman Bill Ng and American tycoon Bill Miller for further information from the SPL over the potential future sanctions for insolvent clubs which will come on board from May 14 was pushing the club ever closer towards liquidation.

Murray still feels it is achievable to avoid these newly-introduced penalties by agreeing a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) with creditors before the start of next season, but Paul Clark, of Duff & Phelps, insisted that they weren't to blame for the hold-up.

"We saw the comments from one bidder in the media on Saturday, but it is not us who are holding up the process or moving the goalposts and all the bidders are aware of that," Clark said.

"We believed we were nearly there last week and it is unfortunate that matters have run on. We are driving the process as quickly as we can."

Meanwhile, Murray admitted last night that assets such as Ibrox and Murray Park would become "vulnerable" in the event of full-blown liquidation, but stressed that needn't be the case in the event of Rangers starting up as a so-called newco.

"Liquidation isn't necessarily the same as a newco which is bidding for the assets of the football club," Murray said. "That is when someone is offering to buy the trade and assets of the football club, but still run it as a football club. They are not going to shut the place down."