Green eager to have Smith on board at Ibrox

Sports writer

Tuesday 30 October 2012

Charles Green wants former manager Walter Smith to return to Rangers to join the board of directors and advise on the football development of the club.

'Walter knows the club better than anyone,' said Charles Green

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Richard Wilson

Green and his current fellow directors also want to make further appointments to the board of people with a background in football and a connection with the Ibrox club.

Green said there will be a plc board after Rangers are listed on AIM (formerly the Alternative Investment Market), but also a football board with responsibility for all aspects of the first team and youth development, and he is also keen for supporters to have a voice.

Smith was involved in a late bid to buy the club from Duff & Phelps last June, after the administrators had agreed to sell the business and assets to Green's consortium. At the time, Ally McCoist, the manager, told Green he could not support him against his friend and mentor. The bid failed, though, and McCoist now works closely with Green. The chief executive has also since had several detailed discussions with Smith. "Walter knows the club better than anyone," Green said. "I'd like to get him on the board or as an advisor. Rangers need people who understand football, Rangers people who understand the culture. We're short of that. There are a number of people who know more about Rangers than I ever will. I want to draw on all of these people. "We've said we will have a plc board, which is a stock exchange requirement, and we will have a football board. We will welcome a fan representative on that board, and it will be the heartbeat of Rangers. It should carry six, seven or eight people, who talk about youth development, the team, fans, all that makes Rangers great. We want it to be inclusive, not exclusive. We've done everything we said we were going to do." Green also insisted that the share issue is being launched now rather than next season to allow fans to buy into the club while the share price is low. He maintained that funds are not being raised simply to cover normal running costs. "In terms of monthly requirements, we can't run out of money," he said. "The season tickets for next season go on sale in May, as is the case for all normal clubs, so by the end of June we'll have collected that and have another pile of cash in the bank."

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Green eager to have Smith on board at Ibrox

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