GORDON DURIE, the Rangers assistant manager, has spoken of the need to isolate his players from the latest outbreak of uncertainty and upheaval to engulf the club in order to maintain any flickering hopes of winning the SPFL Championship.
The Ibrox outfit are 12 points behind Hearts in the table and find on-field matters being overshadowed by boardroom issues once again with the Scottish Football Association having announced on Christmas Eve that they have refused to allow Mike Ashley to increase his shareholding to a maximum 29.9 per cent.
The SFA will also go ahead with a Judicial Panel hearing tomorrow, which will determine whether the owner of Newcastle United has breached their rules on dual interest.
While Ashley's current stake in the club stands at 8.92 per cent and observes an agreement with the national association that he will not own more than 10 per cent, the club's retail division is effectively run by his leisurewear company, Sports Direct.
Ashley is also alleged to have provided loans to the club in return for places on the board. Derek Llambias, the former managing director of Newcastle United, has been installed as chief executive and Barry Leach, the head of brands at Sports Direct, was on stage at the club's annual general meeting on Monday.
Rangers face a perilous trip to Hibernian on league duty tomorrow and Durie admits their faltering attempt to win automatic promotion back to the Premiership depends upon the newly-installed management team protecting the squad from ownership issues as well as the fall-out from Ally McCoist's time in charge of the side ending so suddenly.
"We know what our job is," said Durie. "Yes, there has been turmoil, but we have to try to get that focus away from the players so they are going to produce on the park, not just for themselves and us, but for the supporters.
"I think Rangers fans have got their own ideas of what's been going on. Us, as a staff, don't really have anything to do with that. Our focus is preparing the team for Saturday and making sure we are bang up for it against Hibs."
Durie realises Rangers also have to cope with the fact their supporters, tired of the incessant wrangling and power battles in the background, are simply staying away. The chairman David Somers admittedly recently that approximately 19,000 people attended a recent home win over Cowdenbeath and, despite official figures that include pre-sold season tickets, it is unlikely any more attended last weekend's 2-0 victory over Livingston. "The fans have been fantastic for the last two or three years. Yes, the crowds have been a wee bit short in the last few months, but we can only hope that, if we start winning games, they will come back."
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