One year on from Rangers going into administration and former owner Craig Whyte is quoted as saying he would welcome any investigation into his stewardship of the club and the opportunity to clear his name. Administrators Duff and Phelps were appointed on 14 February 2012 after HMRC lodged a petition over the non-payment of PAYE and VAT since Whyte took over the club in 2011. This was the start of the fall from grace of one of the biggest clubs in Scotland which resulted in Rangers, in their newco guise, playing in the Irn-Bru Third Division. However, as far as Whyte is concerned, his conscience is clear and he sleeps soundly following what has been a turbulent 12 months for Rangers. He said: "I welcome any fair investigation into anything to do with the takeover, the insolvency, whatever. I would welcome that and be happy to co-operate with any of it and anybody will see there is no wrong-doing whatsoever. If I was a crook or a wide-boy, do you really think I'm stupid enough to do anything remotely crooked at a high-profile football club? The whole notion is just utterly ridiculous." Meanwhile, current Ibrox chief executive Charles Green believes Rangers have made progress since the trauma of the last 12 months. Green headed the consortium which purchased the business and assets of the club when liquidation was confirmed last summer. As well as benefiting from huge crowds at Ibrox this season, Rangers announced they had raised more than £22 million from their listing on the stock exchange in December. Green told Rangers' official website: "As a club we are not just ready to move on - we have moved on. The successful flotation of the club on the Alternative Investment Market was the biggest single step on the road to recovery. The fact that our business could attract in excess of £22 million of investment in a challenging economic climate was heart-warming testament to the belief of investors from City institutions to individual fans. Shares have performed well and the capitalisation of the club has meant that we have very sound financial foundations for the future. No effort will be spared in pursuing avenues where our financial security can be developed and enhanced and we will be making announcements regarding this in due course. All along, we have known that the rebuilding of the club on the pitch will take time and we are prepared for that." On the park, things have not gone as Rangers would have wished and are out of all cup competitions they were eligible for this season but are currently 22 points clear at the top of the Third Division. Manager Ally McCoist said: "As a manager, I would probably say I would be content with where we are at the moment. Not overly happy and certainly not delirious but not too downbeat. By that I mean the lads have done very well in the league."
Source: ScottishFitba
Source: FOOTYMAD
