Smith frustrated by Ellis comments

07 May 2010 15:50
Walter Smith believes Andrew Ellis should put his money where his mouth is and buy Rangers before making more comments about the club's future.[LNB] Ellis was this week quoted as saying he hopes to move significantly closer to a takeover of the Scottish champions before the end of the month.[LNB]The London-based property developer also revealed plans to offer Smith - who has been working without a contract since January - a new deal and current owner Sir David Murray the role of lifetime president.[LNB]But Smith said: "You get frustrated when things like that happen because the individual part, whether someone wants to offer me a three-year contract or not, it doesn't really matter.[LNB]"The most important thing is the football club. I stress that to you, that is the most important thing in our mind.[LNB]"Myself, Ally McCoist and Kenny McDowall, we are supporters and we are fortunate enough to be able to work at a club we love working at.[LNB]"For anybody who is thinking about buying the club to make public that they are going to offer us three-year contacts without speaking to us is not right.[LNB]"Buy the club first. If that's what they want to do, then do it. It's quite simple.[LNB]"You don't have to use my name or anybody else's to do that. Rangers Football Club should stand on its own and, if he wants to buy it, then make an offer for it.[LNB]"He's had plenty of time to make an offer so it's down to him."[LNB]Smith will hold talks with chairman Alastair Johnston when he flies into Glasgow from his United States base this weekend.[LNB]"I'll meet Alastair when he comes over," said the Rangers boss.[LNB]"We've got a fair number of things that we need to chat about so we will do that. I've said this quite consistently that we have to get this clarity, regardless of what it is.[LNB]"The main thing is just to try to get a situation where the club is sorted out and given a bit of direction, regardless of what that is, whether we carry on under the bank's rule, or new owners, supporter buy-outs or anything like that.[LNB]"As long as there is clarity from everybody's point of view, it's a necessary thing to have.[LNB]"I don't think you are going to have a situation where the chairman appears, has a couple of meetings, and then everything is clarified. It's not going to be quite as simple as that.[LNB]"But the close-season is an important time for the footballing side of things so hopefully the sooner things get settled down the better."[LNB]Smith knows fans are keen to learn whether he will still be at the Ibrox helm next term after leading Rangers to back-to-back SPL titles.[LNB]But he stressed: "My situation is probably the least important. The club's situation has to be sorted more than any individual's.[LNB]"Whether I'm in the Rangers dug-out at the start of next season or not is really not the most important thing. That's just the way it is.[LNB]"I'll repeat, the most important thing is, in the next few weeks, that everybody starts to show a stability in where the club is and where it's going to go for next season.[LNB]"Never mind the position of any individual - a manager or a player or anybody else - the club's situation is the most important thing. Once the club's situation is sorted out, everything else can follow in line with that.[LNB]"Since January, everybody seems to be preoccupied by the fact that we are without contracts but we still get paid, there is no problem for myself, Ally McCoist, Kenny McDowall, there is still no problem for us working without a contract.[LNB]"It's the club's overall situation that is the most important thing.[LNB]"If the club gets a new owner and he wants me to stay on, he will indicate that. If he wants us to leave, then we will leave.[LNB]"There is not a problem with that situation but it would be wrong of us to mislead people and say we are going to do one thing or another and then find out that we are not."

Source: Team_Talk