James and Sandy Easdale, the brothers who own McGills buses, have reiterated their intention to purchase a significant stake in Rangers.
They already own a minority shareholding, but Charles Green, who resigned as chief executive, told the Ibrox board last month that he would be selling his 7.8% share- holding to them in December. The pair want a seat on the board in return for taking a bigger stake the club.
It would be James Easdale who would seek to become a director, since Sandy Easdale served 18 months in jail for VAT fraud in 1996. James Easdale already has completed the paperwork for assessment for the Scottish Football Association's fit and proper person test. Dave King, the former Rangers director, has also made similar moves with the governing body, while Herald Sport understands that a third interested party has done the same.
Sandy Easdale, though, brushed aside mention of his conviction in an interview with BBC Scotland yesterday. "It was 17 years ago," he said. "We've built up a reasonable-sized business in that time. To cast up 17 years ago seems silly when everybody else has moved on."
The current directors would try to stop the Easdales taking charge of the board, but with enough shares, the brothers could effectively assume control any way. They are lifelong Rangers fans, and their bus and taxi businesses are regulated like all others, but many inside and outside Ibrox are uneasy about the prospect of them running of the club.
"We took a decision to invest in the club," said Sandy Easdale. "We are serious about taking it forward."
The brothers appear reluctant to take full ownership of Rangers, but they expressed their intention to become involved in the club. They also backed Walter Smith, the non-executive director, and Ally McCoist, the manager, but questioned the role of the chairman, Malcolm Murray.
"We are quite willing to share Ibrox with people who want to do the job, do it properly and support Rangers as a club," said Sandy Easdale. "If we get enough support from the fans and other shareholders, together we could maybe turn it round."
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